Tag Archives: Palmer Drought Severity Index

Drought summary for week ending 8 July 2020

New England and the upper Midwest are experiencing mild to moderate short-term drought conditions. Utah has moderate drought conditions throughout most of the state. The mid-Atlantic region has a few isolated areas of mild drought. Regional and local information is also available directly from the United States Drought Monitor website.

Drought map provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center at University of Nebraska for 30 June 2020.

30 June 2020. Mild to moderate drought conditions in New England and upper Midwest. Moderate to severe drought conditions in Utah.

Palmer Drought Severity Index

The Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) changes slowly over months or years and does not accurately estimate short-term drought events (learn more here). But PDSI is useful for longer-term planning and management.

PDSI weekly values show moderate to severe drought in some areas of New England, the mid-Atlantic, and northern Minnesota. In contrast, areas of southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the central Appalachians are in extended moderate to very moist spells overall.

National Palmer Drought Severity Index values  as of 4 July 2020 provided by the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center.

National Palmer Drought Severity Index values as of 4 July 2020 provided by the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center.

Drought data provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) is part of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Contact the NEWA Help Desk for more information.