04/18/2024

Last week, temperatures in the Southern Region were mild, with northern portions warmer than normal and southern portions cooler than normal. Precipitation was plentiful in the track of last week's storm system, but places such as West Texas, the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and northern Oklahoma remained dry. One-class degradations in drought were widespread throughout these areas. Flash flooding was a large issue from East Texas into Central Mississippi with this system as large amounts of precipitation fell in a very short period of time. As a result, west-central Mississippi saw widespread drought improvements, leaving only 5% of the state in abnormally dry conditions. In the start of 2024, Mississippi held the highest land area affected by drought in the Southern Region, with over half the state under (D3) Extreme Drought or worse. In Louisiana, Slidell received 2.10 inches of rain in just one hour, an all-time record for April. Overall, weekly rainfall accumulation reached as high as 15 inches in Tyler County, TX, and most of northern Louisiana saw at least 8 inches. While Tennessee received less rainfall, it was enough to ameliorate drought conditions in the southwest.

Looking to the future, most of the ArkLaTex region is forecasted by the National Weather Service to receive around 1 inch of rainfall over the weekend. A cold front is expected to sweep throughout the region, initiating storms.