January 8, 2015
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[ezcol_2third]According to USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey, the current drought coverage is the nation’s lowest in more than three years, since Dec. 20, 2011. During the five-week period ending Jan. 6, 2015, contiguous U.S. drought coverage decreased to 28.10 percent — a 1.03 percentage point drop. While this is welcoming news to many across the Southern Plains area, drought still lingers and covers a substantial portion of the area also reaching into the Western U.S.
Approximately 37 percent of U.S. winter wheat production is within an area experiencing drought. During December, heavy precipitation across the southern and eastern United States brought significant reductions in the coverage of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate to severe drought (D1 and D2). On Jan. 6, the highest level of drought—D4, or exceptional drought—was noted in portions of California (32 percent), Nevada (12 percent), Oklahoma (6 percent), and Texas (6 percent).
According to USDA, winter wheat conditions declined in several states during December, in part due to drought and possibly due to the adverse effects of November and December weather extremes. On Jan. 6, the approximate percentage of Texas winter wheat areas located in drought was:
25 percent in moderate drought (D1),
27 percent in severe drought (D2),
18 percent in extreme drought (D3) and
6 percent in exceptional drought (D4).
Weather outlook: Surges of frigid air will continue to arrive across the central and eastern U.S., although temperatures will moderate slightly by early next week. Snow showers and squalls will be a companion to the cold weather downwind of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, moisture will surge northeast from the Rio Grande Valley, starting during the weekend. This push of moisture across cold air could lead to freezing rain spreading northeast from Texas.[/ezcol_2third][ezcol_1third_end]
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