Pro Farmer Editors

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says over the last month, widespread moderate to heavy precipitation has eliminated or reduced drought severity in the middle Atlantic States, the Great Lakes region, parts of the south-central Plains, portions of the Intermountain West and adjacent Rockies, and the central Sierra Nevada. Most notably, intense rainfall was observed in parts of the southern Plains along the central Red River Valley and the eastern tier of the drought region in Texas, where 10 to 20 inches were reported in a few areas. In addition, unusual (though not unprecedented) late-season precipitation brought at least short-term improvement to parts of central and northern California during the first few days of May, though no significant, widespread headway was made against the moisture shortages that have accumulated over the course of the last 3 years in the region.

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