Due to increasing short-term precipitation deficits, a slight expansion of D0 was made to southwestern Georgia. The D0 across South Carolina was modified to be more consistent with the 30 to 60-day SPI. D0 was added to parts of western Virginia, based on 30 to 60-day SPI and 28-day average streamflows. Conversely, recent rainfall and improving conditions led to the removal of D0 in southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. Increasing short-term precipitation deficits along with soil moisture and USGS 28-day average streamflow indicators supported an expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) across northern Alabama. Although only light precipitation was observed across southeastern New England this past week, further analysis of various indicators supported a 1-category improvement for this region. This recent precipitation resulted in a decrease in abnormal dryness (D0) across northern West Virginia and western Maryland where USGS 28-day average streamflows are near normal. NortheastĪlong and to the west of the central Appalachians, rain and high-elevation snow (1.5 to 3 inches, liquid equivalent), fell across southwest Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and northern West Virginia at the beginning of May.

Weekly temperatures averaged above-normal across the Great Plains. 7-day temperatures, ending on May 8, averaged below-normal across most of the East along with California, the Great Basin, and Desert Southwest. Following a wet end to April across the East, drier weather prevailed this past week from the Mid-Atlantic south to Florida. However, much of Kansas, Missouri, and southern Nebraska missed out on this beneficial rainfall. Scattered thunderstorms brought pockets of heavy rainfall (more than 2 inches), from May 2 to 8, to parts of Texas, central Nebraska, and the Midwest. A strong area of mid-level low pressure, near the West Coast, resulted in anomalously wet weather during the first week of May throughout the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Great Basin, and California.

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