October has not been a fruitful month for many parts of the country for rain. In fact, a large swath of the eastern half of the country has yet to see any measurable rainfall since the start of the month. That would include cities like Atlanta, Nashville, Philadelphia, New York City and Dallas.
If Philadelphia were to not see rain before the end of the month, it would be the first time the city would record no rain in a calendar month. Records date back to 1871.
Even going into October, parts of the Plains and Midwest have struggled to see meaningful rain in recent months. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, ~66% of the Midwest is under at least a Moderate Drought (D1). In the Plains, it’s even worse with ~72% of the region in a drought.
In the Southeast, dry conditions continue to grow, especially along the western and central Gulf Coast. Overall, nearly half of the country (49.97%) is in some form of drought as of the latest drought monitor released on Oct. 24th.
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The current forecast appears more favorable from now on for at least the Plains and Midwest. Models show a break in the current high-pressure pattern that has dominated recently heading into November.
However, the concern grows heading into this winter as La Niña is forecast to develop. This weather pattern typically brings drier than average weather for the southern half of the country from California through the Mid-Atlantic.
States like Texas, Oklahoma, and the larger Deep South could see droughts worsen throughout the winter.
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