U.S. Drought Monitor

 (data through 5/15/12)
Data Source(s): U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Drought Mitigation Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Precipitation events were few and far between across the Southwest U.S. during the past 30 days. Most of the wet weather was confined to the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies. Continued dry conditions across the Southwest, including California, Nevada, and Utah, led to a slight expansion and intensification of drought conditions. Severe drought expanded across most of Nevada and into northern Utah, while abnormally dry conditions slightly expanded north across most of Wyoming.

Slightly more than 50 percent of western U.S. states are observing moderate drought conditions or a more severe drought category (Figure 3). About 4 percent of western lands, all located in Arizona and New Mexico, are classified with extreme conditions, while about 23 percent of the West is classified with severe drought.

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