National Current Conditions... April 30th thru May 6th
For the 17th week in a row, drought worsened in the Southwest—but only a bit in southern Arizona, and other areas of Arizona and New Mexico improved. Florida saw Extreme Drought (D3) expand, but ongoing precipitation will help.
As of May 6, 2025, 29.60% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 35.28% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
This Week's Drought Summary…
A blocking weather pattern that is common during the spring, resulted in a couple of slow-moving low pressure systems from the end of April through the start of May. These low pressure systems brought heavy precipitation (more than 2 inches) and drought improvement to the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern Great Plains. The heavy precipitation across Oklahoma, western Texas, and eastern New Mexico was accompanied by cooler-than-normal temperatures. Farther to the north, drought expanded and intensified across portions of the Central to Northern Great Plains. Another area that experienced worsening drought was the Florida Peninsula. For the West, drought improvements were made to parts of Arizona, Utah, and western Montana. No changes were made this week to Hawaii, while Alaska and Puerto Rico remain drought-free.