Midwestĭespite predominantly near to below normal temperatures across much of the Midwest, excluding the Upper Midwest and the western Corn Belt, much of the region did not see appreciable rainfall. Excessive heat, especially during the latter portions of the week, helped to exacerbate dryness across portions of southern Louisiana and coastal areas of eastern Texas, where 30-day rainfall deficits continue to increase. Conversely, targeted degradations are warranted across parts of the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, where short-term dryness continues to increase. Additional improvements to the drought depiction are also warranted across portions of the Texas Panhandle, where drought indicators have continued to improve due to well above average (in some cases record) rainfall over the past 60 days. Several rounds of heavy rainfall associated with clusters of thunderstorms traversed portions of the Southern region from Oklahoma to Mississippi, leading to targeted improvements to abnormal dryness (D0) and drought conditions. The late-week rainfall helped to stave off further degradation of drought in upstate areas of the Carolinas and Virginia however, another round of deterioration was warranted across the Coastal Plain of North Carolina and the Virginia Tidewater, as short-term precipitation and soil moisture deficits continue to increase and average stream flows continue to decline. In the days leading up the the end of the week (Tuesday, 6/20), an area of low pressure developed across the Middle Mississippi Valley and began slowly moving eastward, leading to periods of additional rainfall across some of these same areas, in addition to interior and upstate portions of the Carolinas and Virginia. Many areas received more than 5 inches of rainfall as these thunderstorm clusters moved southeastward along a mean frontal boundary. Several rounds of heavy rainfall associated with clusters of thunderstorms warranted improvement to abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought (D1) across southern portions of the Deep South from Mississippi to Georgia and into northern Florida. Unfortunately, short-term dryness leading up to this week warranted further degradation of drought and abnormal dryness (D0) across southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic from the I-95 corridor eastward to the Atlantic Coast. Some locations in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia also experienced improving drought conditions, associated with a couple of rounds of heavy rainfall, totaling in excess of 2 inches for the week. Several locations in interior portions of the Northeast also received well above normal rainfall totals, leading to improvements in the drought depiction, particularly across northern New England and parts of Upstate New York. Much of the Northeast experienced below average daytime high temperatures this week. Another round of deterioration was warranted again this week across much of the Midwest and eastern Great Plains, where below average precipitation continued to add to precipitation deficits that go back several months. However, much of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys and the Northeast experienced a mix of worsening and improving drought conditions based on antecedent dryness and where the heaviest rain fell, respectively. Toward the end of the weekend, a slow-moving storm system traversing eastward across the Middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys resulted in additional periods of heavy rainfall across portions of the eastern U.S. Heavy rain also fell across parts of the Southeast, with many locations across the Deep South receiving in excess of 5 inches of rainfall, leading to improvements to abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions from central Mississippi southeastward to Florida. The only exception was in the northern Cascades in Washington, where below-normal precipitation led to worsening drought conditions. A mean frontal boundary draped across much of the lower 48 states resulted in periods of heavy rainfall across portions of the western Great Plains and Intermountain West, leading to improvements to drought conditions across much of the western half of the lower 48 states. Large portions of southern Texas experienced excessive heat this week, with daytime high temperatures averaging well above 100☏ for several locations. Much of the lower 48 states experienced near to below normal temperatures this week, with the exception of parts of the northern Great Plains, Upper Midwest, southern Texas, and parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley.
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