High Plains
Warm temperature dominated the High Plains this week, with departures ranging up to 20 degrees F above normal, especially along the northern portions of the region. Precipitation fell across much of the region this week, but amounts were not large enough to justify large improvement across much of the High Plains. Extreme drought was expanded in northern Nebraska, while moderate drought was expanded in southeast Kansas. Abnormal dryness was expanded in southwest Colorado, where weekly rainfall totals are 5% to 20% or normal for the week. Small areas of the region did observe heavy rainfall, where rainfall totals were more than an inch above normal. This above-normal precipitation allowed for improvements to be made in South Dakota and along the Wyoming-Colorado border. Moderate to extreme drought were improved in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming, while severe drought was improved in western South Dakota. Abnormal dryness was also improved in areas along the Wyoming-Colorado border this week.
West
Average temperatures were above normal across nearly the entire region this week, while small pockets of below-normal temperatures were observed in northern California and along the southern coast of California, where temperatures were between 1 to 3 degrees F below normal. Conversely, Montana observed temperatures ranging between 6 to 15 degrees F above normal this week. Precipitation varied across the region this week, with heavy amounts falling in northern portions, while some areas in the southern portions of the region observed no precipitation. In the north, precipitation amounts of 1 inch or greater fell across much of the Pacific Northwest and northern California, with some areas receiving up to 8 inches above normal for the week. Moderate to severe drought were improved in western Montana and eastern Idaho, while moderate drought was removed in southeast Oregon and trimmed in the northeastern part of the state. Abnormal dryness was improved in northeast Oregon and in small parts of eastern Washington and southern Idaho. In the southern part of the region, above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation resulted in expansion of drought in Arizona, California and Nevada. Extreme drought was expanded in southern Arizona, while severe drought was expanded in southern and northwestern parts of the state. Moderate drought was expanded in western and eastern Nevada, southern California and across parts of Arizona, while abnormal dryness was expanded in parts of California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico this week.
