National Current Conditions: November 27, 2024 - December 3, 2024
The eastern U.S. generally saw conditions worsen this past week. Virginia and North Carolina are now almost entirely in #drought. So is the Northeast, except interior New York State. However, drought conditions in Ohio/West Virginia improved. Most other regions of the country saw mixed improvements and degradations.
As of December 3, 2024, 36.49% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 43.64% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
This Week's Drought Summary…
This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw improvement in areas of the Northeast, Midwest, and the West. In the Northeast, very heavy snowfall accumulations (up to 5+ feet in some areas) were observed in downwind locations of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in New York, and northwestern Pennsylvania. The highest totals were observed downwind of Lake Erie between Erie, Pennsylvania and Buffalo, New York. Further south, 2-to-8-inch accumulations were observed in areas of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, leading to improvements on the map in drought-affected areas. In the Upper Midwest, heavy lake-effect snowfall impacted much of Upper Peninsula Michigan as well as areas downwind of Lake Michigan in Northern Michigan and southeastern Michigan. In other parts of the Midwest, light accumulations (1 to 4 inches) were logged in Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. In the Southeast and South, dry conditions prevailed across both regions except for light precipitation accumulations in isolated areas of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and southeastern Texas. In Florida, short-term dryness led to additional expansion of areas of drought in the Panhandle region.
Elsewhere in the Southeast, areas of drought expanded on the map in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina in response to short-term dryness and declining streamflow levels. In the High Plains, dry conditions prevailed across much of the region; however, some light snowfall was observed in the eastern portion of the Dakotas. Out West, drier conditions prevailed this week across much of the region, although areas of northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and Colorado experienced snow in the higher elevations. In terms of reservoir storage in areas of the West, California’s reservoirs continue to be at or above historical averages for the date (December 3) with the state’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, at 113% and 109% of their averages, respectively. In the Southwest, Lake Powell is currently 37% full (59% of typical storage level for the date) and Lake Mead is 33% full (53% of average), with the total Lower Colorado system 42% full as of December 2 (compared to 43% full at the same time last year), according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Looking Ahead...
The 7-Day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast calls for moderate-to-heavy precipitation accumulations ranging from 2 to 4 inches (liquid) across areas of the Pacific Northwest, including the Olympic Mountains and Cascades of Washington. In the South, areas of eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, western Georgia, and southern Tennessee are forecasted to receive accumulations ranging from 2 to 6+ inches. Elsewhere, light accumulations (<1 inch) are expected in areas of the Northern Rockies in the Panhandle of Idaho, northwestern Montana, and locations across the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
The 6-10-day Outlook calls for a moderate-to-high probability of above-normal temperatures across much of the West, the Central and Northern Plains states, and the eastern third of the contiguous U.S. Meanwhile, near-normal temperatures are expected across much of the South and in the Four Corner states. In terms of precipitation, there is a low-to-moderate probability of above-normal precipitation across the eastern third of the contiguous U.S., eastern Texas, eastern portions of the Midwest, and areas along the entire greater U.S.-Canada border. Elsewhere, below-normal precipitation is expected across portions of the West including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
