After years of drought across much of the country, the U.S. seems to be experiencing a reprieve, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor tracks dryness levels over time, and as of May 2019, the country is having its lowest overall level of drought since official reports began in January 2000.
Read on to learn about recent wetness patterns across the U.S., the current levels of drought across the country, and if the abnormally high levels of rainfall are expected to continue in the coming months.
This 19-year low indicates that the overall amount of area across the United States that is currently experiencing some level of drought has been lowered by the recent wet patterns.
As of mid-May, most of the country is experiencing no drought at all. Certain, relatively small parts of the Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest are experiencing abnormal dryness, moderate drought, or, in a few isolated cases, severe drought.
The Drought Monitor also includes categories of “extreme drought” and “exceptional drought,” which no areas of the U.S. are currently experiencing.
Over 91% of the U.S. is not in some level of drought, indicating in turn that nine percent of the area has some level of abnormal dryness or drought (with most only experiencing the former).
Another way of measuring overall drought levels is through the Drought Severity and Coverage Index, or DSCI, a barometer that provides an idea of the overall levels of drought across the country. As of mid-May 2019, the DSCI is measured at 11, which is also at its lowest since digital records began in early 2000.
Many areas of the U.S. have been experiencing abnormally high levels of rainfall over the past several months, with most of the country having above-average rainfall volumes (some as high as one foot of rainfall above average).
Even more rainfall is expected in the coming months, as storms hit the Plains and the West Coast coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. It appears that for the time being, these record-low drought levels will continue.
