Dry conditions persist from the Ohio Valley to central Gulf of Mexico Coast

The U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly report, released Sept. 28, showed parts of the United States continuing to experience moderate to exceptional drought while moving fronts generated rain across the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies and Great Plains to the Mississippi Valley. 

Parts of southeast Texas through south and central Louisiana to Alabama are all experiencing areas with exceptional drought. Parts of the West, High Plains and a small area of Iowa were experiencing the same. 

Eastern regions are mostly spared from drought conditions thanks to Tropical Storm Ophelia, with parts experiencing moderate and abnormally dry conditions.  

According to the monitor, temperatures averaged warmer than normal beneath the ridge across the Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes but the week was cooler than normal in the West and across the East Coast states.