Moderate Drought Conditions continue for the county

Almost all the U.S. experienced a cooler-than-normal week, with only a handful of areas being above normal. The coolest readings were in the Rocky Mountains, where departures were up to 15 degrees below normal, while the warmest areas were in central and northern California, New England, and south Florida, where departures were a few degrees above normal. Precipitation was also greatest in the Rocky Mountains where the upper elevations recorded a good week of snow. Precipitation was widely scattered throughout the Southeast where some portions of north Florida had over 200% of normal precipitation for the week. At the end of the period, a cold air mass settled in over the eastern two-thirds of the country, bringing cold air all the way down into the deep South with winter storms along the Gulf Coast. There are multiple regions that have had several weeks of dryness with minimal precipitation. Even though it is winter, and drought tends to move slower due to reduction of demand, these areas will continue to be monitored for degradation if the pattern continues and the data support it.