Latest Seasonal Assessment – Drought expansion and intensification dominated most areas from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast, but improvement was more common from the central U.S. eastward. As a result, drought divides the Nation in half as of mid-April 2022.
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A large majority of the area from the central Great Plains westward to the Pacific Coast are experiencing some degree of drought.
The only exceptions are in the Pacific Northwest, the northern Intermountain West, and a few patches in the central Rockies and the Southwest. Most of Hawaii is also experiencing some degree of drought.
In stark contrast, most areas east of the Mississippi River are free of drought, almost all of which is moderate drought (D1 on the Drought Monitor, the least intense drought designations).
Over the next few months, this general pattern will continue. Nearly all areas in drought from the central Plains westward to the Pacific Coast should persist or intensify, expanding to cover the entire region outside central Arizona and part of the Pacific Northwest.
The only areas expected to improve are in the northern High Plains due to heavy precipitation early in the period, and across much of Arizona late in the period with the onset of the monsoon season.
Meanwhile, east of the Mississippi River, existing drought should continue to fade slowly. By the end of July, drought is expected to be limited to relatively small areas in northern Maine, eastern North Carolina, and southwestern Georgia. [NOAA]