Heat Persists in the South Central U.S. and Southwest; Heavy rains in the Desert Southwest and Central Plains

Sweltering heat remains across the South-Central Plains, Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley, and the Southwest this week with limited nighttime relief. Thunderstorms will bring heavy rainfall leading to localized flash flooding in portions of the Desert Southwest and central Plains. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across portions of the central Plains into the Northeast. Read More >

Drought Severity Classifications

		Ranges
Category	Description	Possible Impacts	Palmer Drought Index	CPC Soil Moisture Model (Percentiles)	USGS Weekly Streamflow (Percentiles)	Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)	Objective Short and Long-term Drought Indicator Blends (Percentiles)
D0	Abnormally Dry	Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; pastures or crops not fully recovered	-1.0 to -1.9	21-30	21-30	-0.5 to -0.7	21-30
D1	Moderate Drought	Some damage to crops, pastures; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent; voluntary water-use restrictions requested	-2.0 to -2.9	11-20	11-20	-0.8 to -1.2	11-20
D2	Severe Drought	Crop or pasture losses likely; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed	-3.0 to -3.9	6-10	6-10	-1.3 to -1.5	6-10
D3	Extreme Drought	Major crop/pasture losses; widespread water shortages or restrictions	-4.0 to -4.9	3-5	3-5	-1.6 to -1.9	3-5
D4	Exceptional Drought	Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies	-5.0 or less	0-2	0-2	-2.0 or less	0-2

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Heat Persists in the South Central U.S. and Southwest; Heavy rains in the Desert Southwest and Central Plains

Drought Classifications