Jonathan Belles
A week of flooding rain in Texas and Louisiana hasn't quite diminished the now multi-year drought in the western Lower 48 states.
Since late last week, the country has been bookended by a strengthening dome of high pressure in the East and a persistent but mostly dry area of low pressure over the Rockies and West.
In between the two systems, a stubborn flow of moisture has persisted through much of this week straight up the Plains from the Gulf of Mexico.
Several inches of rain have fallen in between the two systems, including over some drought-affected areas like Colorado and Wyoming.
But the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley have really gotten drenched this week.
Cities from Brownsville, Texas, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have had bouts of flooding as the seemingly never-ending clusters of thunderstorms roll through.
(NEWS: Latest Flood Updates, Impacts)
At least one spot near Lake Charles, Louisiana, has picked up more than 20 inches of rainfall since May 16th. That's more than the average rainfall for May, June and July combined in the weather-torn city.
Unfortunately, rain hasn't fallen where it is needed most.
Most of the Southwest remains in an extreme or exceptional drought, the highest categories of drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Drought is also worsening from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes.
Dry conditions and springtime warmth have cause drought to worsen by at least one category from California to the Northwest and eastward to the Great Lakes.
San Francisco is now almost a foot behind on rainfall since Oct. 1, typically the start of the rainy season, while Chicago is more than 7 inches behind since the beginning of the calendar year. Phoenix and Bismarck are both around 3 inches behind since January 1.
There is one bright side. May began with moderate to severe drought across Texas, which has slowly been chipped away at since the beginning of the month.
The ongoing drought and the warming and drying conditions of summer will lead to higher than average wildfire concerns into June across the Southwest and through the rest of the summer on the West Coast, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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