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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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- The U.S. Drought Monitor Map shows that several states, including Kansas, Nebraska and Texas, are battling exceptional drought.
- California has seen significant improvement.
- Experts are growing increasingly concerned about the central U.S., and Montana could see worsening conditions.
- California's recent storms have assuaged much of the state's drought, but some experts are still hesitant to declare the end of the water crisis.
A series of moisture-laden storms may have rescued California from extreme and exceptional drought, but other regions across the United States are still battling brutally dry conditions.
An uncharacteristically wet winter has vastly improved California's water shortage. The most recent analysis by the U.S. Drought Monitor Map published last week revealed that more than 44 percent of the state was free from drought, an improvement over only three months ago, when more than a third of the state was battling extreme drought and 7 percent facing exceptional drought. However, the most recent drought map shows several states still coping with exceptional drought.
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An AccuWeather drought map shared with Newsweek shows that the worst of the drought is centered in Kansas, Nebraska and parts of Texas. Oregon also is experiencing severe, extreme and exceptional drought conditions, according to the monitor.
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The U.S. Drought Monitor Map features six categories: none, abnormally dry, moderately dry, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought.
Exceptional, or the bleakest category, can trigger "exceptional and widespread crop and pasture losses, exceptional fire risk, shortages of water in reservoirs, and streams and wells causing water emergencies," according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Extreme drought is one step better than exceptional, characterized by "major crop/pasture losses, extreme fire danger, widespread water shortages or restrictions," according to NWS.
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter told Newsweek that California has seen "significant improvement" in its water crisis, but that experts are growing increasingly concerned about the central U.S.
"Florida has been very dry as of late, as well," Porter said. "There remains significant drought across portions of Oregon and parts of New Mexico, western Oklahoma, western central Texas, northward up to Nebraska."
Porter said some areas could experience worsening conditions in the next few months, specifically Montana. AccuWeather forecasts that other areas will see vast improvement. Its drought monitor shows improvement in Florida, southeastern California, southern Nevada, much of central and southern Utah and southwestern Arizona in the coming weeks.
Other areas, such as northern California, northern Nevada, northern Utah, much of Oregon and Idaho, and a swath of land from North Dakota south to Texas will see little change in the coming weeks.
California's recent storms have assuaged much of the state's drought, but some experts are hesitant to declare the end of California's water crisis. AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok previously told Newsweek that for any other state, he would believe the drought was over, but California is known for its susceptibility, partially due to its massive population's demand for usage of an already stressed system.
Porter told Newsweek that population changes, such as growth, don't influence drought. However, the size of the population can cause varying impacts on the water crisis if there is a large demand for water.
"If drought conditions occur, the unique aspects around the number of people and how people are using water can become a factor," Porter said.
California is expected to benefit from even more precipitation through Wednesday. Snowpack will begin to melt in the spring, further relieving drought, and water management officials have recently had to release some water from California reservoirs to make room for the excess.
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