Drought Continues To Spread Nationwide

Ask Brad Rippey, and he’ll tell you that it’s abnormally dry for this time of year.  According to the USDA meteorologist, the November 1st U.S. drought monitor, which shows drought coverage across the lower 48 states.

“Is 62.8%, a ten-percentage point increase from four weeks ago in early October and it's almost 19 percentage points higher than our autumn 2022 minimum of just over 44%.”

Rippey noted the dramatic expansion of drought coverage over the past two months includes movement from here in the west.

“Eastward into the Midwest and Mississippi Valley and the southeast as the footprint of drought has been ever expanding during what turned out to be the driest September since 1956 and what was also a very dry October.”

With coverage, Rippey noted, of dryness and drought across the nation and over 85% as of November 1st, and all-time high.

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