Drought conditions linger in Western U.S.

WASHINGTON - The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported in its latest seasonal drought assessment that conditions should improve across the Midwest and into the High Plains, while limited improvement is expected across the West outside of the Great Basin and the Southwest.

The forecast improvement does not necessarily mean the end of drought problems, according to NOAA officials, because it will take a long time to eradicate drought in areas where moisture deficits are especially large, such as western Nebraska and western South Dakota. Some locations in northwestern Missouri, where low water supplies may persist, have gone 10 consecutive months with below-normal precipitation. Farther north, with relatively less rainfall expected in northern South Dakota and North Dakota, drought may largely persist.

Long-term moisture deficits still prevail across much of the West, so even the normal mountain snow pack observed in some states this spring will not be enough to bring significant relief to water supplies except in scattered locations. In many western areas, water shortages are expected to continue through July. The odds for improvement in the hydrological drought are lowest in the Great Basin and the Southwest due to low snow pack or the limited precipitation expected during this time of the year.