Idaho And Western United States SNOTEL Water Year (Oct 1) to Date Precipitation % of Normal (9/22)

USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report - Corn 13% Harvested, Rated 57% Good to Excellent as of Sept. 21

OMAHA (DTN) -- Despite heavy rain across much of the Corn Belt last week, the nation's corn and soybean harvests continued ahead of their average paces, according to USDA NASS's weekly Crop Progress report released on Monday.

The nation's weather pattern is expected to shift this week, bringing improved harvest conditions to parts of the Midwest while maintaining a steady stream of moisture across drought-affected areas of the Plains, according to DTN forecasts.

CORN

-- Crop development: Corn dented was estimated at 92%, 2 percentage points ahead of last year's 90% and 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Corn mature was pegged at 58%, 4 percentage points ahead of last year's 54% and 3 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 55%.

-- Harvest progress: NASS estimated that 13% of corn has been harvested nationally, 3 percentage points ahead of last year's 10% and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 11%.

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 57% of the crop was in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but 9 percentage points below last year's 66%. Seventeen percent of the crop was rated very poor to poor, equal to the previous week and 7 percentage points above the previous year's 10%.

SOYBEANS

-- Crop development: Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 62%, 4 percentage points ahead of both last year and the five-year average pace of 58%.

-- Harvest progress: NASS estimated that 12% of soybeans had been harvested as of Sunday, 4 points ahead of both last year and the five-year average of 8%

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 58% of soybeans were in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but 3 percentage points below the previous year's 61%.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest reached 96% complete as of Sunday. That was equal to both last year's pace and the five-year average.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting was estimated at 17% complete nationally, 2 percentage points behind last year's 19% and 4 percentage points behind the five-year average of 21%.

-- Crop development: Winter wheat emergence was estimated at 2%, 2 points behind both last year's pace and the five-year average.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

Following a week of excessive rainfall across much of the Corn Belt, DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said farmers in some areas may finally get an opportunity to return to the field, while producers in the Plains continue to receive much-needed moisture.

"After a week of some really heavy rainfall across large areas of the Corn Belt, it will be a lot tamer this week," Baranick said. "A stalled front last week brought some continuous rainfall over large areas of the Corn Belt, but that front is finally shifting down into the Southeast early this week. Showers are forecast to dwindle as it does so, leaving behind some more fall-like temperatures across more of the Midwest and Tennessee Valley after the extended summer last week. While harvest progress was tough in a lot of areas last week, the areas that saw heavy rain will have some chance to dry out, and maybe allow farmers to get back out into their fields later this week.

"But out in the Plains, rain will continue. We saw widespread showers last week that should help with the ongoing drought. Not all areas saw rain, of course, but many areas from west Texas into South Dakota and Montana got some needed rain. It may affect harvest but should help with moistening soils for winter wheat planting and early establishment. A lot of these areas are going to need more rain, and more is coming. We should see showers somewhere in the Plains every day this week. Some of the heaviest rain is forecast from New Mexico and west Texas into Nebraska. There could be some localized areas of flooding that go along with it if they hit the same areas over and over again. Otherwise, they should be good soaking rains now that we're heading into the true fall season."

National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn dented	92	86	90	91
Corn mature	58	42	54	55
Corn harvested	13	8	10	11
Soybeans dropping leaves	62	44	58	58
Soybeans harvested	12	6	8	8
Winter wheat planted	17	8	19	21
Spring wheat harvested	96	93	96	96
Cotton bolls opening	65	57	59	58
Cotton harvested	13	8	12	11
Sorghum headed	97	94	100	99
Sorghum coloring	88	78	88	89
Sorghum mature	56	49	51	52
Sorghum harvested	25	22	25	26
Barley harvested	98	94	98	96
Rice harvested	73	62	70	60

**

National Crop Condition Summary
(VP=Very Poor; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; E=Excellent)
	VP	P	F	G	E
Corn
This Week	6	11	26	44	13
Prev Week	6	11	26	44	13
Prev Year	3	7	24	49	17
DTN 5-Yr Avg	5	10	26	46	13
Soybeans
This Week	4	10	28	46	12
Prev Week	4	9	29	46	12
Prev Year	4	8	27	48	13
DTN 5-Yr Avg	4	10	28	47	11
Peanuts
This Week	1	8	31	53	7
Prev Week	1	9	29	55	6
Prev Year	3	11	31	46	9
DTN 5-Yr Avg	2	8	32	51	7
Cotton
This Week	10	25	31	28	6
Prev Week	12	22	30	30	6
Prev Year	6	12	35	37	10
DTN 5-Yr Avg	12	17	30	34	6

Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region - Storage Reservoirs in the Upper Snake River (9/21)

Average daily streamflows indicated in cubic feet per second.
Reservoir levels current as of midnight on date indicated.

Upper Snake River system is at 9 % of capacity.
(Jackson Lake,Palisades, Grassy Lake,Island Park,Ririe,American Falls,LakeWalcott)
Total space available:	3666978 AF
Total storage capacity:	4045695 AF

This Week's Drought Summary (9/17)

Last week, there were several areas that had significant rainfall amounts. One area was over Iowa, eastern Nebraska and Kansas, and northwest Missouri, where more than 4 inches fell in central Iowa and southeastern Kansas. Another area was centered over Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania, where conditions were already wet. Much of Florida and the Gulf Coast received 2 to 4 inches of precipitation in the past week. Most of the southwest U.S. received little rain, with exceptions of scattered monsoonal precipitation along the New Mexico-Arizona border. Most of Texas and Oklahoma continued to be dry, as was the majority of the western Great Plains.

Temperatures in the southern Great Plains and lower Mississippi valley continued to be very warm, in some locations over 10F above normal. Most of the rest of the continental U.S. was also above normal. The only areas with below normal temperatures for the past week were in northern New England as well as most of the northwest states.

Northeast

Northern New Jersey to Cape Cod along the coast of southern New England had a band of significant rain in the past week. Unfortunately, this rain was not where it was most needed. Much of Maine saw deteriorating drought conditions with continued dryness. An area of extreme drought was introduced along the Maine coastline, with low streamflows and well levels observed. Another area with rain falling over locations that are not abnormally dry was in West Virginia and western Pennsylvania.

Southeast

Central Virginia had moderate rainfall this past week, leading to some drought improvement. Most of the Carolinas into Georgia were warm and dry, however, resulting the regional degradation of drought conditions. Florida was generally wet and had drought improvement in small areas in the north, center, and south parts of the state. Meanwhile, Alabama continued to experience above normal temperatures and limited rainfall in the central to north, leading to large areas with drought degradation. There remain some areas of extreme drought in northern North Carolina, coastal South and North Carolina, and small areas in Florida.

South

Extremely above normal temperatures continued in this region over the past week. Nearly all locations had drought deterioration, with the exceptions of northern Arkansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and coastal Mississippi. Much of Texas and into the Ark-La-Tex area experienced flash drought conditions. In addition to the heat, these areas received little rainfall in the week. Extreme to exceptional drought conditions are noted in far south Texas, most of northern Texas into western and southern Oklahoma, northwestern and northeastern Arkansas, and along the Arkansas-Mississippi border.

Midwest

Significant rainfall was observed over western Kentucky as well as over central-to-north Missouri, leading in removal of abnormally dry conditions. Heavy rain also fell in northwestern Iowa, northern Minnesota, and a band across central Wisconsin, with drought improvement as a result in these locations. Meanwhile, a mostly rain-free week in northern Illinois and Indiana caused introduction of an abnormally dry area. Extreme drought conditions can be found in southern Missouri, northern Wisconsin, and along the borders of Minnesota with both Wisconsin and North Dakota.

High Plains

Eastern Kansas had above normal precipitation over the past week; this led to improvement in drought conditions in this area. Eastern Nebraska and eastern South Dakota also had decent rainfall and resulting improvement to drought. Other areas of South Dakota that missed out on the rain had drought degradation. Colorado had drought degradations in the center part of the state, with drought improvements in both the southwest and southeast parts. Extreme drought continues over much of Colorado and Wyoming, western Nebraska and the Dakotas, and in eastern North Dakota. Exceptional drought is observed over much of central Colorado as well as two localized areas in far western Nebraska.

West

An area from southwestern Oregon to central Washington into northern Idaho and Montana received some welcome rainfall during the week. The rain resulted in regional improvements in drought conditions. One location that just missed out was in northwest Washington on the Canadian border, resulting in a drought degradation, where continued low streamflows were observed. There were also areas on the California-Nevada border and central Arizona with drought degradation that also received little-to-no rainfall. Extreme drought is shown over much of central Oregon, central Utah, southern Idaho down into northern Nevada, and small areas in northern Washington and southern Arizona. Exceptional drought continues in southern Idaho, northern Nevada, and northeastern Oregon.

Caribbean

In Puerto Rico, some locations did experience heavy rain over the past week, which improved drought conditions. Additional rainfall will be needed to ameliorate extreme drought conditions in the northeast as well as the central-to-southern coast.

St. Croix experienced highly variable and light rainfall this week. The NWS/NOAA station at East Hill recorded 0.13 inches. The CoCoRaHS network recorded 0.48 inch at Christiansted 1.6 E (VI-SC-10), 0.07 inch at Frederiksted 1.7 ESE (VI-SC-20) and Christiansted 6.5 W (VI-SC-23), 0.18 inch at Christiansted 1.7 SW (VI-SC-30), 0.70 inches at Frederiksted 1.9 NE (VI-SC-34) and 0.12 inch at Frederiksted 1.3 ENE (VI-SC-35). Thus, reported rainfall ranged from 0.07 to 0.80 inches, with the largest amount occurring in the Christiansted area. The groundwater conditions remained very poor. At Adventure 28 Well, the water level on September 15 was 25.85 feet, compared with 18.62 feet on September 15, 2025, indicating the water level was about 7.2 feet lower than a year earlier. These conditions indicate continued short-term extreme drought (D3-S).

This week, St. John experienced sparce rainfall although available observations are limited. The Rafe Boulon (VI-SJ-3) station at Windswept Beach recorded 0.3 inches, while the CoCoRaHS station VI-SJ-5 at Cruz Bay 1.6 E recorded 0.38 inches and station VI-SJ-10 at Cruz Bay 3.1 NNW recorded 0.5 inches. None of the stations measured over half-an-inch of rainfall. At Susannaberg DPW 3 well, the water level on September 15 was measured at 18.73 feet below the land surface, compared to12.68 feet on September 15, 2025. This 6.10-foot difference indicates the groundwater level is substantially deeper now than it was a year ago. Observations showed that the depth continued to increase from the previous week, and St. John remains in short-term extreme drought (D3-S) conditions.

St. Thomas observed significant variability in rainfall this week. While Cyril E. King Airport recorded no rainfall, CoCoRaHS station VI-ST-5 at Charlotte Amalie West 4.2 WNW measured 1.01 inches and station VI-ST-15 at Charlotte Amalie West 1.3 N recorded 0.43 inches. This shows a rainfall range of 0.00 to 1.01 inches. On September 15, groundwater levels were at 8.41 feet, up from 9.76 feet the previous week and almost equal to 8.22 feet this time last year on September 15, 2025. Despite this week's improvement in groundwater depth, 3- to 12-month precipitation indicators show large precipitation deficits remain and St. Thomas continues to experience short-term extreme drought (D3-S) conditions.

Pacific

In Alaska, areas of abnormally dry conditions were also removed based on recent rains in the southeastern part of the mainland.

Over Hawaii, rainfall from remnants and outer bands of tropical systems resulted in removal of abnormally dry conditions on the islands of Maui and Molokaʻi.

Conditions across the Marshal islands brought intermittent showers and heavy rainfall for most islands this week (September 9-15). This week, all but Utirik (1.74 inches) received over 3 inches of rain with Ailinglapalap recording 6.41 inches, Jaluit 4.13 inches, Kwajalein 5.84 inches, Majuro 3.87 inches, Mili 4.23 inches and Wotje 3.54 inches. While Utirik did receive 1.74 inches this week, it follows several weeks of below adequate precipitation demand leading to the introduction of short-term abnormal dryness (D0-S).

The Federation States of Micronesia experienced generally good rainfall this week, with most stations receiving 2-6 inches. This week, Chuuk Lagoon received 2.39 inches (1 day missing), Kapingamarangi 0.98 inches, Kosrae 2.16 inches (2 days missing), Lukunor 5.91 inches (2 days missing), Nukuoro 1.88 inches, Ulithi 3.34 inches, (2 days missing) Pohnpei 5.81 inches, Woleai 4.19 inches (1 day missing) and Yap 2.23 inches (1 day missing). Kapingamarangi remained in short-term abnormally dryness (D0-S) after at least three weeks of dryness but showed some improvement from recent rainfall. Fananu and Pingelap had no data.

American Samoa received much needed and beneficial rainfall this week after several dry weeks. This week, Pago Pago received 2.68 inches (1 day missing), Siufaga Ridge 6.56 inches and Toa Ridge 5.43 inches. Despite the abundant rainfall this week, conditions remain in short-term moderate drought conditions, though more rainfall in the weeks to come could improve those conditions.

Palau experienced another week of inadequate precipitation and remain in short-term moderate drought (D1-S). This week with both Koror and WSO Palau/Airai recorded 1.87 inches. While this week did get more precipitation, this followed 2 consecutive dry weeks.

This week, the Mariana Islands received generally adequate rainfall. Synoptic conditions favored active convection and locally heavy showers, particularly over Guam that received an average of 2.7 inches this week with Antonio B Won Pat International Airport recording 4.49 inches, Agat 3.19 recording inches and Dededo recording 3.13 inches (2 days missing). Saipan averaged over 3.18 inches this week with Saipan International Airport recording 3.41 inches and Capital Hill recording 2.95 inches this week. Rota received 2.54 inches this week with the September monthly total already surpassing the necessary 4 inches (4.52 inches). Tinian only recorded trace precipitation (0.06 inches), though there was no data for 6 of the 7 days this week. All islands remain free of dryness or drought.

Looking Ahead

Over the next five days leading up to next Tuesday, above normal rainfall is forecast in south Florida as well as a large area in southern Wisconsin and Minnesota into eastern Iowa and northern Illinois. The latter area of forecasted rainfall continues to the east through central Michigan, the southern Great Lakes, Pennsylvania, New York, and much of central and southern New England. Other locations with rainfall in the forecast this week are in the Appalachian Mountains, the western Great Plains, and the Four Corners states. Unfortunately, most of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are forecast to receive little rainfall. Dry conditions are also forecast in California, Nevada, and Washington. Much above normal temperatures are forecast to continue this week in the central and southern U.S.

The 6- to 10-day outlook (September 22-26, 2026) favors above normal temperatures continuing over nearly all of the continental United States. Areas most likely to be above normal are again the south into the southeast, plus the far north. Hawaii is also likely to be above normal. For precipitation, the Eastern Seaboard is likely to have above normal rainfall as is the Southwest. The central U.S. into the upper Midwest is likely to have below normal rainfall. Hawaii and Alaska are both likely to have above normal rain during this period.

Idaho And Western United States SNOTEL Water Year (Oct 1) to Date Precipitation % of Normal (9/15)

USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report - Corn 8% Harvested, Soybeans 6% Harvested as of Sept. 13

OMAHA (DTN) -- The U.S. soybean harvest kicked off ahead of both last year's and the five-year-average pace, while the nation's corn harvest also continued slightly ahead of normal, according to USDA NASS's weekly Crop Progress report released on Monday.

This week, farmers across the country will be dealing with dramatically different weather conditions, according to DTN weather forecasts.

CORN

-- Crop development: Corn dented was estimated at 86%, 3 percentage points ahead of last year's 83% and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 84%. Corn mature was pegged at 42%, 3 percentage points ahead of last year's 39% and 4 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 38%.

-- Harvest progress: NASS estimated that 8% of corn has been harvested nationally, 1 percentage point ahead of last year's 7% and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 6%.

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 57% of the crop was in good-to-excellent condition, up 1 percentage point from the previous week but 10 percentage points below last year's 67%. Seventeen percent of the crop was rated very poor to poor, equal to the previous week and 8 percentage points above the previous year's 9%. Iowa's crop was rated at 76% good to excellent, while North Carolina and North Dakota were poorly rated at 12% and 22%, respectively, according to DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini.

SOYBEANS

-- Crop development: Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 44%, 6 percentage points ahead of last year's 38% and 7 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 37%.

-- Harvest progress: In its first soybean harvest report of the season, NASS estimated that 6% of soybeans had been harvested as of Sunday, 1 point ahead of last year's 5% and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 3%

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 58% of soybeans were in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but 5 percentage points below the previous year's 63%. Iowa's crop was rated at 74% good to excellent and Tennessee's was 75%, while North Dakota's crop was rated just 24% good to excellent, Mantini noted.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest reached 93% complete as of Sunday. That was equal to last year's pace but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 92%. South Dakota's spring wheat harvest was estimated at 100% complete with Minnesota's harvest at 98% finished, Mantini noted.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting was estimated at 8% complete nationally, 2 percentage points behind last year's 10% and 4 percentage points behind the five-year average of 12%.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

This week's weather pattern is anything but uniform, with starkly different conditions expected from the Northern Plains to the Gulf Coast, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"It's sort of a tale of two halves here this week," Baranick said. "Across the North, a big storm system is moving through the Northern Plains on Monday and has already laid down a widespread area of heavy rain there and into the upper Midwest. That system will leave a front draped from the Nebraska-Kansas border through Iowa and across the southern Great Lakes where daily showers and thunderstorms should develop. Areas of heavy rain are going to make harvest difficult and could cause some flooding near that front, leading to some damage potential. Temperatures will be very seasonal, with a lot of highs in the 60s and 70s and some potential for frosts in a few areas that see winds calm down a bit.

"But south of that front, it will continue to be much more like summer. Highs in the 90s and near 100 degrees and extremely humid are going to be common throughout the week. Outside of some spotty showers near the Gulf, it should be rather dry, as well. That will not bode well for soil moisture, as we should see some drought growth this week. The exception may be in the southwestern Plains where there could be some occasional showers and milder temperatures throughout the week. Any rainfall would be helpful there as more producers go out and plant winter wheat.

"Another system is forecast to develop along that front for this weekend, but models are having a tough time trying to figure out how that will all come together -- whether or not it will produce widespread rain, or push that front far enough into the Southeast by early next week to bring some relief to temperatures and some rain, as well. So, there is some uncertainty with the mid-range forecast."

National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn dented	86	76	83	84
Corn mature	42	25	39	38
Corn harvested	8	5	7	6
Soybeans dropping leaves	44	26	38	37
Soybeans harvested	6	NA	5	3
Winter wheat planted	8	2	10	12
Spring wheat harvested	93	86	93	92
Cotton bolls opening	57	40	49	48
Cotton harvested	8	7	9	8
Sorghum headed	97	94	100	99
Sorghum coloring	78	68	80	80
Sorghum mature	49	41	43	41
Sorghum harvested	22	20	22	22
Barley harvested	94	90	94	93
Rice harvested	62	50	59	50

**

National Crop Condition Summary
(VP=Very Poor; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; E=Excellent)
	VP	P	F	G	E
Corn
This Week	6	11	26	44	13
Prev Week	6	11	27	42	14
Prev Year	3	6	24	50	17
DTN 5-Yr Avg	5	10	26	46	13
Soybeans
This Week	4	9	29	46	12
Prev Week	4	9	29	46	12
Prev Year	3	8	26	50	13
DTN 5-Yr Avg	4	10	28	47	11
Peanuts
This Week	1	9	29	55	6
Prev Week	1	8	29	55	7
Prev Year	1	7	28	54	10
DTN 5-Yr Avg	2	8	32	51	7
Cotton
This Week	12	22	30	30	6
Prev Week	11	21	34	29	5
Prev Year	4	10	34	42	10
DTN 5-Yr Avg	12	17	30	34	6

Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region - Storage Reservoirs in the Upper Snake River (9/14)

Average daily streamflows indicated in cubic feet per second.
Reservoir levels current as of midnight on date indicated.

Upper Snake River system is at 10 % of capacity.
(Jackson Lake,Palisades, Grassy Lake,Island Park,Ririe,American Falls,LakeWalcott)
Total space available:	3628359 AF
Total storage capacity:	4045695 AF

This Week's Drought Summary (9/10)

Drought and abnormal dryness continued to expand or intensify this week across parts of the central and south-central United States as flash drought conditions continued from much of Texas northeast to the middle and lower Mississippi River Valley. Warmer-than-normal temperatures, ranging from 10-15 degrees F above normal in much of the central Great Plains, Corn Belt and Missouri, combined with mostly dry weather in these areas to support worsening drought. Largely drier weather also continued this week in New England, in parts of the Michigan Upper Peninsula, along parts of the North Dakota-South Dakota border, in southeast Montana and in southwest Colorado, leading to degradations occurring in parts of these areas. In contrast, heavy rains fell from southeast South Dakota into western Iowa and southern Minnesota, in eastern Wisconsin, in northern North Dakota, in western Oregon and in parts of the northern Rocky Mountains in Montana and Idaho. Scattered heavy rains, locally 2-3 inches or more, also occurred in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, eastern North Carolina and Florida. Tropical Storm Edouard and its remnants delivered very heavy rain amounts, locally 10-15 inches or more, in a narrow corridor in southeast Texas. Lowell, in the central Pacific Ocean, delivered heavy rain amounts to Niihau, Kauai and Oahu as it passed west of the islands as a hurricane earlier this week, alleviating abnormal dryness in a few areas. Conditions continued to improve in localized areas of Puerto Rico this week after recent heavy rains. While the central United States dealt with an early-autumn heat wave, near- or below-normal temperatures occurred from the Great Basin west to the Pacific Ocean.

Northeast

Scattered heavy rains fell in the Northeast this week, especially in parts of far northern New York, southwest New York, Pennsylvania, northeast West Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware. The heaviest amounts fell in portions of central Pennsylvania, where locally over 5 inches of rain fell. The rain led to some improvements to ongoing long-term drought and abnormal dryness in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, where precipitation deficits lessened and streamflow and soil moisture levels improved. In contrast, moderate and severe drought increased in parts of southern Maine and Vermont and New Hampshire, where precipitation deficits quickly grew and soil moisture and streamflow declined. Temperatures were generally near or a few degrees below normal in New England, while western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia were 5 or more degrees above normal for the week.

Southeast

With long-term dryness entrenched in parts of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia and Florida, localized heavier rains, or lack thereof, played a large role in how conditions changed in the Southeast this week. Conditions were quickly drying in southern Virginia and parts of northern and western North Carolina and northern Georgia. Temperatures were also 5-10 degrees above normal in these areas this week. A few locations in eastern North Carolina received enough rainfall to lessen precipitation deficits and boost soil moisture. In contrast, drier weather in parts of south-central Virginia and the western Carolinas led to worsening precipitation deficits and lowered streamflows and soil moisture in some locales. Widespread improvements occurred in the Florida Peninsula and adjacent southeast Georgia following widespread heavy rains, locally totaling 4-6 inches. Remaining drought in northeast Florida is primarily long-term in nature, as most shorter-term drought impacts have stopped.

South

Large parts of the South region continued to quickly dry this week amid mostly above-normal temperatures and dry weather. A few exceptions include southern Louisiana, southeast Texas (where former Tropical Storm Edouard dropped rain amounts that locally exceeded 10 inches), and parts of the western Oklahoma Panhandle, where scattered thunderstorm rains occurred. Isolated one-category improvements occurred in the Oklahoma Panhandle, while one- and two-category improvements occurred in southeast Texas, where precipitation deficits were either reduced or erased entirely, along with improved soil moisture and streamflow. Elsewhere, mostly dry weather and hot temperatures (5-15 degrees above normal) covered a wide area from western and northern Texas through most of Oklahoma, Arkansas, northern Mississippi and Tennessee. Short-term rainfall deficits continued to grow across much of the region, along with dropping soil moisture and streamflow levels, leading to widespread agricultural drought impacts. Large areas of degrading conditions spread from much of Texas into eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, northern Mississippi and portions of Tennessee. The rapidly drying weather in Tennessee came after much wetter recent weather, somewhat lessening the impact of the recent heat and dryness there and in neighboring Kentucky.

Midwest

Weather and drought (or lack thereof) conditions were a mixed bag across the Midwest this week. Temperatures across the region were warmer than normal, with most of the region finishing the week at least 5-10 degrees above normal, and large portions of Iowa, Missouri and Illinois finishing the week 10-15 degrees above normal. Thunderstorms dropped heavy amounts of rain, locally exceeding 5 inches, in northwest Iowa, southern Minnesota and east-central Wisconsin. Notable rains of 1-2 inches or more also fell in parts of far northeast Indiana, southern Lower Michigan, west-central Wisconsin, northern (especially northwestern) Minnesota and parts of Ohio. Elsewhere, with a few exceptions, dry weather came along with the heat, and most of Missouri (excluding the northwest), Illinois, Indiana (excluding the far northeast) and western Kentucky received little or no rainfall. Moderate, severe and extreme drought coverage grew across south-central and southwest Missouri, where significant short-term precipitation deficits and soil moisture deficits continued to build amidst declining streamflow in some areas. Widespread agricultural drought impacts were occurring across south-central and southwest Missouri given these conditions and the early-autumn heat wave. Short-term moderate drought also expanded in northeast Missouri where short-term rainfall deficits grew and soil moisture and streamflow dropped. While not yet at drought levels, abnormal dryness expanded across much of Missouri, southern Illinois and western Kentucky, where conditions have quickly dried due to the hot and dry weather pattern of the past few weeks. In far northern Illinois, hot and dry weather this week led to a small area of moderate drought development where soil moisture levels have dropped. Short-term moderate drought developed in parts of the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where short-term rainfall deficits combined with low levels of soil moisture and streamflow. Heavy rains led to improving conditions in west-central and northwest Iowa (and adjacent southwest Minnesota), east-central Wisconsin and northwest Minnesota. Extreme drought expanded slightly into the Twin Cities area, where short- and mid-term precipitation deficits increased.

High Plains

Conditions in the High Plains region this week were mixed. Scattered heavy rains fell in northeast and southwest Nebraska, southeast South Dakota, northern North Dakota and far southwest Kansas, leading to localized or widespread improvements in these and neighboring areas. However, temperatures across the region were warmer than normal, leading to abnormally high atmospheric thirst and widespread degrading conditions in parts of the region. Temperatures were mostly 10-15 degrees above normal in Kansas, eastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota. Eastern Kansas and southeast Nebraska were particularly hot and dry this week, leading to large expansions of moderate, severe and extreme drought in south-central and southeast Kansas, and the introduction of abnormal dryness in much of northeast Kansas. Unusually wet weather in August kept conditions in southeast Nebraska from drying as much as areas farther south and southeast. Severe and extreme drought also grew in coverage in southeastern North Dakota, where warm and dry weather this week worsened precipitation deficits and soil moisture conditions. Drought conditions improved in southeastern South Dakota, and adjacent far northeast Nebraska, where rain amounts of 2-5 inches fell. Similar amounts of rain fell in parts of northern North Dakota, leading to improvements in soil moisture and streamflow there and improving drought conditions. Heavy rain amounts of 1-3 inches fell in parts of southwest Nebraska and the Nebraska Panhandle, and adjacent northeast Colorado, lessening precipitation deficits and improving drought conditions.

West

Most of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho were cooler-than-normal this week, with some areas of northern California and southern Oregon finishing the week 10-15 degrees below normal. Eastern portions of New Mexico and Montana, by contrast, were warmer than normal, with temperatures in most areas 5-10 degrees above normal. Widespread moderate to heavy precipitation fell from northern California across portions of Oregon, central and northern Idaho and western and northern Montana. Precipitation amounts in western Montana and northern Idaho ranged from 2 to 6 inches. This led to increased soil moisture and streamflow and lessened short- and long-term precipitation deficits, and the coverage of moderate and severe drought and abnormal dryness lessened in some areas. Precipitation also improved conditions in south-central Oregon, as long-term precipitation deficits lessened in severity. Long-term precipitation deficits grew amid groundwater and soil moisture shortages in south-central Nevada, leading to an increase in severe drought coverage there. In southeast Montana, warm and dry weather led to decreased streamflow and soil moisture in a few areas, leading to localized expansion of severe and extreme drought.

Caribbean

Rain totals of 1-5 inches fell in parts of central, north-central and western Puerto Rico. This led to improvement of severe and moderate drought and abnormal dryness in central and north-central parts of the island. Recent rainfall also allowed a small amount of improvement to extreme drought in southeast Puerto Rico.

This week, the dominant atmospheric pattern changed from the influence of the remnants of Hurricane Dolly early in the week to a southeast trade-wind regime. This brought passing showers and isolated thunderstorms, followed by slightly drier air on September 8. While this week's rainfall helped in some areas, it was not enough to alleviate the ongoing extreme drought conditions, particularly the significant groundwater deficits observed at monitoring wells.

St. Croix experienced highly variable rainfall this week. The NWS/NOAA station at East Hill recorded 0.10 inches. The CoCoRaHS network recorded 0.14 inch at Christiansted 1.6 E (VI-SC-10), 0.11 inch at Frederiksted 1.7 ESE (VI-SC-20), 0.44 inch at Christiansted 6.5 W (VI-SC-23), 0.20 inch at Christiansted 1.7 SW (VI-SC-30), 1.14 inches at Frederiksted 1.9 NE (VI-SC-34), and 0.88 inch at Frederiksted 1.3 ENE (VI-SC-35). Thus, reported rainfall ranged from 0.10 to 1.14 inches, with the largest amount occurring in the Frederiksted area. These observations indicate that rainfall was locally substantial but unevenly distributed across the island. Despite the rainfall, the groundwater conditions remained very poor. At Adventure 28 Well, the water level on September 8 was 25.66 ft, compared with 18.67 ft on September 8, 2025, indicating the water level was about 6.99 ft lower than a year earlier. These conditions indicate continued extreme drought.

This week, St. John experienced locally significant rainfall, although available observations are limited. The Rafe Boulon (VI-SJ-3) station at Windswept Beach recorded 1.47 inches, while the CoCoRaHS station VI-SJ-5 at Cruz Bay 1.6 E recorded 1.04 inches. Both stations measured over 1 inch of rainfall, indicating that parts of St. John received a beneficial amount of precipitation during the week. However, the groundwater situation remained much less favorable. At Susannaberg DPW 3 well, the water level on September 8 was measured at 18.64 feet below the land surface, compared to 10.14 feet on September 8, 2025. This 8.50-foot difference indicates the groundwater level is substantially deeper now than it was a year ago. Observations showed that the depth continued to increase from the previous week, and St. John remains in extreme drought conditions.

St. Thomas observed significant variability in rainfall this week. While Cyril E. King Airport recorded no rainfall, CoCoRaHS station VI-ST-5 at Charlotte Amalie West 4.2 WNW measured 1.19 inches, and station VI-ST-15 at Charlotte Amalie West 1.3 N recorded 0.51 inches. This shows a rainfall range of 0.00 to 1.19 inches. On September 8, groundwater levels were at 9.76 feet, slightly up from 9.88 feet the previous week. However, this is still much higher than the 7.77 feet recorded on September 8, 2025, making it about 1.99 feet deeper than last year. Despite this week's minor improvement in groundwater depth, St. Thomas continues to experience extreme drought conditions.

Pacific

Rainfall in the central Interior region this week led to some improvement in areas experiencing abnormal dryness. Drier-than-normal weather continued in southeast Alaska, and moderate short-term drought continued there. Above-normal precipitation fell in parts of central and western Alaska, with some areas receiving at least 150 percent of normal precipitation. South-central Alaska and the Aleutian Islands were drier than normal this week, with some areas receiving less than half of their normal weekly precipitation. Temperatures across most of Alaska were generally within 5 degrees of normal (with a few exceptions). Temperatures mostly leaned cooler than normal in central and northern Alaska and warmer than normal in southeast Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

Heavy rain fell across portions of Niihau, Kauai and Oahu following the passage of Lowell’s center to the west of the islands. Abnormal dryness was removed on Kauai and Oahu following Lowell’s passage, while abnormal dryness also improved in southern parts of central Maui. Above-normal rainfall also occurred in parts of the Big Island of Hawaii, especially along the east-central and southeast ends of the island.

Synoptic conditions across the Marshall Islands featured tropical moisture and localized convergence, producing intermittent showers but considerable island-to-island rainfall variability. Rainfall was generally adequate during September 2–8, although rainfall remained variable among stations. This week, Ailinglapalap received 1.60 inches, Jaluit 0.20 inches, Kwajalein 3.51 inches, Majuro 2.28 inches, Mili 1.62 inches, Utirik 0.78 inches, and Wotje 2.10 inches. The increased rainfall at Kwajalein, Majuro, and Mili indicates generally favorable moisture conditions, and all stations remain drought-free. Jaluit experienced a second dry week, and Utirik received limited but sufficient rainfall to remain drought-free. However, continued dryness at both locations should be monitored for possible development of abnormally dry conditions.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) experienced generally adequate rainfall this week, with most stations receiving between about 1.8 and 3.1 inches. This week, Chuuk Lagoon received 0.19 inches (1 day missing), Kapingamarangi 1.97 inches, Kosrae 4.18 inches, Lukunor 3.05 inches, Nukuoro 1.88 inches, Ulithi 1.84 inches, Pohnpei 2.29 inches, Woleai 2.43 inches, and Yap 0.14 inches. Chuuk had also received 2.84 inches during the previous week, while Kapingamarangi remained abnormally dry (D0-S) after at least two weeks of dryness but showed some improvement from recent rainfall. Fananu and Pingelap had no data. Synoptic conditions supported periodic convection and showers in a moist tropical environment, with rainfall generally sufficient to maintain drought-free conditions across the FSM, although Yap and Chuuk received considerably less rain this week.

American Samoa continued to experience insufficient rainfall and persistent drought conditions. Synoptic conditions were dominated by trade-wind flow and localized convergence, producing scattered showers but not enough widespread or persistent rainfall to alleviate the existing moisture deficit. This week, Pago Pago received 0.23 inches, Siufaga Ridge 0.4 inches, and Toa Ridge 0.65 inches. Although Toa Ridge received somewhat more rainfall, precipitation remained localized and insufficient to provide meaningful drought relief. All three stations remain in short-term moderate drought conditions.

Palau experienced continued severe rainfall deficits this week. Synoptic conditions were unfavorable for significant rainfall, with suppressed convection and relatively stable conditions limiting shower development over Palau. Both Koror and WSO Palau/Airai recorded 0.00 inches. This represented a second consecutive dry week, and the drought condition has now deteriorated from an abnormal drought to a short-term drought classification (D1-S) at both locations. Weekly rainfall observations also indicated that Koror experienced dry conditions during six of the past seven weeks, while Airai also experienced persistent dryness in recent weeks.

This week, the Mariana Islands received generally adequate rainfall, although precipitation was highly localized. Synoptic conditions favored active convection and locally heavy showers, particularly over Guam, where enhanced moisture and convergence produced the 3.07-inch rainfall event on September 6. The exceptionally heavy rainfall on Guam accounted for most of the island's weekly total. This week, Guam received 4.09 inches, including 3.07 inches on September 6; Rota received 2.67 inches; Saipan received 1.24 inches; and Tinian received 0.38 inches (5 days missing). The rainfall was sufficient to maintain drought-free conditions across all four locations.

Looking Ahead

From the evenings of Wednesday, September 9-Monday, September 14, the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center precipitation forecast is for mostly dry weather in the West, and in the western half of the Great Plains, except for parts of north-central Idaho eastward across Montana into North Dakota, where over 0.75 inches of precipitation are forecast in most areas. Eastern parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma may also receive 0.75 inches or more of rain, with some parts of eastern Kansas and western Missouri forecast to receive 1.5 inches of rain or more. Much of northern Iowa, Minnesota, northwest Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan are forecast to receive at least 1.5 inches of rain. Rain amounts at or above 0.75 inches are also likely in parts of the Ohio River Valley, southern Mid-Atlantic, southeast Louisiana, and parts of southern Mississippi, Alabama, northern Georgia and the Carolinas. Parts of the Florida Peninsula may receive 1.5-4 inches of rain. Generally drier weather, with local exceptions, is forecast in Texas, the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, northern parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and southern New England.

For September 15-19, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center forecast favors above-normal precipitation for much of the contiguous United States, especially in the Four Corners states. Near-normal precipitation is favored near the Gulf Coast and in parts of central and northern California and Nevada and eastern Oregon and Washington. Below-normal precipitation is favored in western parts of Oregon and Washington. Warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored across much of the southern and eastern United States, especially in the Southeast. Cooler-than-normal temperatures are favored in North Dakota, northern South Dakota, northwest Minnesota and most of Montana. Above-normal precipitation and temperatures are both favored in Hawaii. In Alaska, warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored across the state. Above-normal precipitation is favored in most of Alaska, though below-normal precipitation is likelier in southeast Alaska, and near-normal precipitation is favored in the central Aleutian Islands.