U.S. Drought Monitor Update for January 22, 2013
According to the January 22, 2013 U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to exceptional drought covers 57.6% of the contiguous United States, a decrease from last week’s 58.9%. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) also decreased slightly from 19.4% to 19.3%. The changes are due mainly to beneficial rains that fell across parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic drought areas, whereas most of the rest of the country was dry this week.
In addition to Drought.gov, you can find further information on the current drought at The National Drought Mitigation Center.
The most recent U.S. Drought Outlook is available from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agriculture Outlook Board provides information about the drought’s influence on crops and livestock.