05/30/2024

Since the end of April, the coverage of drought in the Southern Region had declined week after week. Last week was the first time this trend turned around, as drought expanded in the western portions of the region despite heavy rainfall in the eastern portion. Large areas in Texas and Oklahoma faced severe hydrologic drought, meaning that water supplies in streams, reservoirs, aquifers, lakes, and soils have depleted to much lower-than-average levels. Some areas in Mississippi have below normal content, but remained less severe than Texas and Oklahoma. Texas experienced almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit hotter-than-normal temperatures, while parts of Mississippi reached 6 degree anomalies. Coupled with little to no rainfall over the past weeks, expansion of drought is evident in the Southern Region. Meanwhile, rainfall was abundant everywhere else. Most of Arkansas and Tennessee, northern parts Texas and Louisiana, and southern Oklahoma received much higher-than-normal precipitation for the week. Most notably, parts of Arkansas received over 8 inches of rainfall.

Looking to the not-so-far-future, the Atlantic Hurricane season is fast approaching! NOAA is predicting above-normal activity this year due to near-record breaking sea surface temperatures and the onset of La Nina conditions now seen in the Pacific. Along with other factors, this calls for a hurricane season that is favorable for impacting the Southern Region.