Matt Makens

Drought has increased and that trend is likely to continue. Although there has
been some tropical moisture for the Southwestern United States and wet weather
for the southern states, the northern tier is hurting.

During the past month, drought has grown in the yellow shaded regions, decreased
in the green regions, dark gray is unchanged: 

The moisture that the Lower 48 has received in the past month is shown here as a
percentage of average.

For just the past two weeks:

The past two weeks have seen some wet weather but that has not changed the
drought monitor. The latest is shown here:

With areas of drought increasing in parts of the Corn Belt, a real concern is
placed on corn reliant commodities, especially the beef industry, 

The outlook going forward is favorable for some wet weather for the southern
areas of the country. Here's a general outlook for the next two weeks showing
green areas as wetter than average in this projection.

This fits generally well with our previous July outlook that indicated wetter
weather across the Southern Plains was more likely than elsewhere. Also, a
slight uptick in tropical moisture for the Southwest as part of the traditional
monsoon season.

Extended outlook features a boost of monsoonal moisture for the south and a
drier outlook northNo real surprises in June as the pattern, generally
speaking,
held true to prior
months. Wet areas generally remained wet, and dry areas dry. This is especially
true for the west coast (which remained quite dry) and places along the
immediate Front Range, which remained wetter than average. With th…Brendan
HebertonJul 08, 2021Weather5280
[https://www.weather5280.com/2021/07/08/extended-outlook-features-a-boost-of-monsoonal-moisture-for-the-south-and-drier-outlook-north]
Summer moisture outlook and likelihood of the monsoonIt is the time of year
when
the Southwestern U.S. typically sees the development
of the monsoon, and this will be a critical one for the Four Corners Region
that
is hit so hard with drought. Although, the Southwest is not the only area
currently seeing a significant shortage of moisture. A well-dev…Matt MakensJun
21, 2021Weather5280
[https://www.weather5280.com/2021/06/21/summer-moisture-outlook-and-likelihood-of-the-monsoon]
In total, the next two weeks will likely not see enough moisture in the drought
areas to cause much of a change there. 

Total precipitation through the end of July.

Temperatures will be a significant factor as part of the drought and also
feeding the drought. Heat will build again across the Northwest and will spread
toward the Northern Plains. Meanwhile, cooler than average conditions will
coincide with the wetter areas of the Southern Plains.

Drought update & the outlook: Friday, July 16th, 2021