Drought and dryness worsened across areas of the West, High Plains, South and Southeast this week.
The Drought Download video series uses maps, climate indicators and graphics to visualize the U.S. Drought Monitor.
#USDroughtMonitor #drought #drought2026
U.S. Drought Monitor showed 59.91% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 56.21% last week.
For all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 50.07% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 46.97% last week.
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.a...
Last Friday, the SRCC teamed up with Texas Sea Grant at Night at the Zach to demonstrate and share flood tools 🌊, climate resources, and hands on demos with students & families! Thank you to everyone that stopped by our table!
#txwx #lawx #okwx #arwx #mswx #tnwx
Save the date for the Gulf Resilience Community of Practice Annual Meeting in Beaumont, TX 📍on Nov. 16th-18th 📅! More details are to come soon on registration, abstracts, and more!
Click here to get the information➡️
masgc.org/resilience-c...
#txwx #mswx #lawx #tnwx #okwx #arwx
(3) Without rain between now and Tuesday, a recommendation of D3-Extreme Dryness is very likely for the Laredo area.
(2) (75 to 50% of normal rainfall for the time of year) than the surrounding area (25-50% of normal for the time of year). The difference between the Laredo area and the rest of the region is starting to fade at the 60day timeframe on the PRISM based SPIs.
(1) Sure thing! Much of the difference is due to rains in mid to late September that fell in and around Laredo but missed much of the surrounding region. Starting at the 180day mark and going back to one year to date, the area around Laredo is wetter
Southern Region Drought Update, valid March 17th to 25th, 2026 What Changed? East TX, eastern AR, central LA, northwestern MS & eastern TN improved from small pockets of high rainfall. Deep south TX, the TX & OK panhandles, south-central OK, and northwest TN saw drought degradations. Most Impacted: Southern half of TX and northeast AR are impacted by exceptional drought (D4). Portions of every state experiences (D3) extreme drought, including 16% of TX, 30% of AR, 14% of OK, & 10% of LA. Least Impacted: 51% of MS & 59% of TN are affected by drought.
HISTORIC HEAT♨️
As of 2pm CDT Thursday, 110+ locations across the Central/Western U.S. and Canada had already broken their March 19th record highs.
20 of those also set all-time March records.
Another 90 locations have a few hours left to tie or break their daily records before sunset.
Click here to register for tomorrow's webinar! (2/2)
noaaresearch.webex.com/webappng/sit...
#txwx #arwx #tnwx #lawx #mswx #okwx
The Southern Plains has faced a long and shifting multi-year drought and impacts are still being felt today! Join Dr. B.J. Baule of the Southern Regional Climate Center tomorrow at 12pm CT for the Southern Plains Drought Assessment Webinar for insights on drought impacts! (1/2)
Industrial users alone account for over 50% of demand, according to city officials. Since 2015, city leaders have aggressively recruited petrochemical plants, steel mills, and LNG export facilities with assurances that enough water would be available. www.texastribune.org/2026/03/17/t...
The Southern Plains has faced a long and shifting multi-year drought and impacts are still being felt today! Join Dr. B.J. Baule of the Southern Regional Climate Center tomorrow at 12pm CT for the Southern Plains Drought Assessment Webinar for insights on drought impacts! (1/2)
Warm temperatures, limited rainfall, a round of severe weather, and expanding drought defined February across the Southern Region. Read the full SRCC Monthly Climate Summary covering the past month here!➡️
www.srcc.tamu.edu/climate_repo...
#txwx #okwx #arwx #lawx #mswx #tnwx
From tornadoes to triple digit highs🥵, the past week had it all! Severe storms⛈️, record-breaking heat, and worsening drought made for an active & hectic last week across the Southern Region.
Click here to read more: ➡️www.srcc.tamu.edu/climate_reports/weekly-r...
Record late-February heat🌡️, continued expanding drought, and limited rainfall 🌧️affected much of the Southern Region last week.
Click here to read the latest summary➡️:www.srcc.tamu.edu/climate_reports/weekly-r...
#srcc #txwx #okwx #arwx #lawx #mswx #tnwx
Since the beginning of December, drought has expanded and intensified across the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Great Plains, which is typical during a La Niña winter.
#USDroughtMonitor #drought #drought2026
US Drought Monitor. Find maps, data, impacts and more to track #drought and #drought2026. Droughtmonitor.unl.edu.
Sign up for NDMC Updates to get the latest in drought analysis and news. drought.unl.edu/Publications...
#droughtmonitor #drought #drought2026
An aerial photo of a dry field and trees submitted to Condition Monitoring Observer Reports. The image is overlaid with the text, “Help us see more drought,”and a blue frame containing the NDMC logo and the website go.unl.edu/cmor_drought.
Are you seeing any drought impacts in your area? Share reports to CMOR: go.unl.edu/cmor_drought
#droughtmonitor #drought #drought2026
US Drought Monitor showing conditions for 3-5-26. For more information and drought statistics, visit https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.
US Drought Monitor 3-5-26
For the 50 states and Puerto Rico, the US Drought Monitor shows 45.94% in moderate drought or worse, compared to 42.81% last week.
#droughtmonitor #drought #drought2026
🚨Only 4 days remain for Early-Bird registration for the 2026 South Central Climate Resilience Forum! Join leaders across AR, LA, KS, OK, & TX April 15th-17th in San Antonio for sessions, speakers, and collaboration on climate resilience! Click here to register➡️: www.sccrf.org/registration
Southern Region Drought Update Valid February 17th to 25th, 2026 What Changed? Lacking rainfall worsened drought conditions across the lower MS Valley, ArkLaTex, and Far South TX. Exceptional drought (D4) developed in Jim Hogg and Brooks Counties in TX. Extreme drought (D3) expanded in Far South TX, east-central LA, MS, and OK. Widespread improvements across western TN ameliorated drought for almost 20% of the state. D3 improved slightly in AR. Most Impacted: Since the start of February, 1/4th of AR has been affected by Extreme Drought or worse (D3-D4). Over 99% of AR is impacted by Moderate to Exceptional (D1-D4) drought. Least Impacted: Over 75% of MS remains free of drought.
What’s Changed? Lacking rainfall worsened drought conditions across parts of TX, OK, AR, LA, and MS. Exceptional drought (D3) developed in central MS & southwest LA. Over 93% of OK & 97% of TX is affected by abnormal dryness or worse (D0-D4). A few localized improvements occurred in northeast LA & southeast MS. Most Impacted: For the past three weeks, 20% of AR is affected by Extreme Drought or worse (D3-D4), while over 99% of the state is affected by drought (D1-D4). Exceptional drought or worse (D3-D4) conditions continue to affect 15% of TX & 9% of OK. Least Impacted: Only 24% of MS is affected by drought (D1-D2), and another 30% affected by Abnormally Dry conditions (D0). TN is the only state without D3 or worse conditions.
A multi-year drought has continued to grip TX & OK, as ranchers brace for another harsh summer. Dr. Baule of the SRCC with support from NIDIS explain how heat, La Niña, & water shortages have kept the Southern Plains Dry. #txwx #SRCC #okwx
Click here to read more➡️
theconversation.com/sixth-year-o...
www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/drought-status-update-southern-plains-2026-01-22
Key Takeaways:
- Driest December on record for Oklahoma (since 1895)
- 3rd driest & 3rd warmest December on record for Texas (since 1895)
- 4th driest December on record for Kansas (1895)
Historic winter weather☃️ impacted much of the Southern Region with widespread snow, ice, and prolonged cold. Multiple areas set record low temperatures 🌡️ and remained below freezing for multiple days as Arctic air settled in. 🥶
Click here to read more➡️
www.srcc.tamu.edu/climate_repo...
Persistent warmth and lack of rainfall are accelerating drought conditions across Texas. One of the driest six-month periods on record has drained soil moisture says Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon Ph.D.
Read more →
agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/01/21/d...
Nighttime update🌙❄️: Radar is active across the Southern Region as the freezing line (red) pushes SE. A second wave of wintry precip and rain continues overnight into Sunday morning. Preliminary 24-hr snow totals greater than 4" stretch from the TX Panhandle to eastern TN.
WPC shows the highest chances of freezing rain accumulations ≥0.10" from central TX through central TN 🧊over the next 24hrs. Snow probabilities ≥1" are greatest in the TX Panhandle, across Oklahoma, and into northern Arkansas. Stay weather aware & warm! (2/2)
Midday update: The freezing line (black) is pushing through across the region. Snow is ongoing from West TX into Oklahoma🌨️. T-Storms continue across LA & MS. A wintry mix of freezing rain & sleet is falling across Northern MS & TN as the Arctic front races south.🥶 (1/2)
