Drought Continues

Drought conditions continue to worsen across much of the U.S. with 44% of land area now at some level of drought. If the abnormally dry category is included, the land area jumps to 63%. Much of this is west of the Mississippi.

The table shows the change over time. Notice at the beginning of the year only 11% of area was in some type of drought compared with 44% currently. Also of note, extreme or exceptional drought conditions were nearly zero at the start of the year but developed in 16% of area by the end of last week.

As it relates to agriculture, the Great Plains, Northern California, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon are experiencing significant drought conditions.