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We’re just days away from turning the page from summer to fall. Drought in the United States expanded in Summer 2023, driven by lack of rain, extreme heat, and evaporative demand. The first U.S. Drought Monitor of Summer 2023, issued on June 27, 2023, showed the worst drought in the U.S. on the Central Plains and into the Midwest. Other areas in drought included the Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, and smaller pockets in Hawaii, the Southwest, and Texas, although one of these pockets in Texas included Extreme/Exceptional Drought (D3-D4). Overall, 22.6% of the U.S. was in drought. Fast forward to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor, which will be the last of Summer 2023. In general, areas in drought stayed in drought or worsened, and new drought developed. The areas hit worst this summer were afflicted with little rain and a lot of extreme heat. This particularly applies to NM across to AL, including TX, LA, and MS. While conditions improved a bit on the Central Plains, Midwest, and in the Mid-Atlantic, conditions deteriorated further in the Northwest, Upper Midwest, and Hawaii. Overall, 31.7% of the U.S. is in drought.
With fall around the corner, drought along the Mississippi River Basin and worsening conditions in the Ohio River Basin may impact shipping on the Mississippi River. See how drought progressed across Summer 2023 with these 10 maps showing precipitation, temperature, evaporative demand, wildfires, and more.
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