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October 30, 2024 - Drought in the Southern Plains
October 26, 2024
October 17, 2023
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Sunny skies, high temperatures, and lack of rain pushed much of the United States into drought by late October 2024. The U.S. Drought Monitor weekly report published on October 24 showed 79.33 percent of the lower 48 states were experiencing either “abnormal dryness” or some degree of drought. According to Yale Climate Connections, this is the highest percentage of abnormal dryness and drought (classifications D0-D4) for any week since November 29, 2022, and is close to the record-highest week ever recorded in Drought Monitor data. The sections of the contiguous U.S. that were notably drought-free were the regions that had recently been drenched along the path of landfalling hurricanes.
The Southern Plains have been particularly hard hit by the effects of an arid, warm October. According to the October 22 update from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas all experienced extending and intensifying drought in the last months. Oklahoma, which has also seen yearly droughts between 2021 and 2023, has highest rainfall deficits in southeast and northeast parts of the state, with lack of soil moisture as deep as 32 inches (81 cm) in some locations. This has increased wildfire potential, reduced reservoir levels, and is impacting crops such as winter wheat.
The same report disclosed that only 3 percent of the entire state of Kansas was drought-free on October 22, compared to 42 percent three months ago. Sixteen percent of the state is experiencing Severe Drought (D2) or worse. In some areas, precipitation from April 1- October 21 is up to 10 inches (25.4 cm) below normal. Many lakes have reduced water levels, with Cheney Lake, the reservoir that provides water to Wichita, Kansas, measured at 8.62 feet below normal. That’s the lowest level for that lake since 1972. Parts of Kansas received scattered rain in mid-October, but not enough to bring relief.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a pair of false-color images of a portion of the Southern Plains that, when compared, illustrate the effects of the current drought. The top image was acquired by Terra MODIS on October 26, 2024, and the second of the same area was acquired by Terra MODIS on October 17, 2023. Each image centers on southeastern Kansas, plus contains a portion of western Missouri (in the east), and northeastern Oklahoma (south). For reference, the darkest green circle along the top edge of the image is Kansas City, which straddles the state line between Kansas and Missouri.
In this type of false-color image, vegetation appears bright green, water looks dark blue, and open land or land with little vegetation looks tan. Clicking on the dates below the images will allow comparison between an October with normal precipitation (2023) and this year’s drought (2024). It is also noteworthy that, in the 2024 image, Missouri (east) remains greener overall than Kansas or Oklahoma, but quite drier than in 2023. Parts of Missouri are also currently suffering severe drought, especially in the southwestern corner of the state.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/26/2024
Resolutions:
1km (146.9 KB), 500m (403.8 KB), 250m (463.1 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
October 26, 2024 October 17, 2023
Sunny skies, high temperatures, and lack of rain pushed much of the United States into drought by late October 2024. The U.S. Drought Monitor weekly report published on October 24 showed 79.33 percent of the lower 48 states were experiencing either “abnormal dryness” or some degree of drought. According to Yale Climate Connections, this is the highest percentage of abnormal dryness and drought (classifications D0-D4) for any week since November 29, 2022, and is close to the record-highest week ever recorded in Drought Monitor data. The sections of the contiguous U.S. that were notably drought-free were the regions that had recently been drenched along the path of landfalling hurricanes.
The Southern Plains have been particularly hard hit by the effects of an arid, warm October. According to the October 22 update from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas all experienced extending and intensifying drought in the last months. Oklahoma, which has also seen yearly droughts between 2021 and 2023, has highest rainfall deficits in southeast and northeast parts of the state, with lack of soil moisture as deep as 32 inches (81 cm) in some locations. This has increased wildfire potential, reduced reservoir levels, and is impacting crops such as winter wheat.
The same report disclosed that only 3 percent of the entire state of Kansas was drought-free on October 22, compared to 42 percent three months ago. Sixteen percent of the state is experiencing Severe Drought (D2) or worse. In some areas, precipitation from April 1- October 21 is up to 10 inches (25.4 cm) below normal. Many lakes have reduced water levels, with Cheney Lake, the reservoir that provides water to Wichita, Kansas, measured at 8.62 feet below normal. That’s the lowest level for that lake since 1972. Parts of Kansas received scattered rain in mid-October, but not enough to bring relief.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a pair of false-color images of a portion of the Southern Plains that, when compared, illustrate the effects of the current drought. The top image was acquired by Terra MODIS on October 26, 2024, and the second of the same area was acquired by Terra MODIS on October 17, 2023. Each image centers on southeastern Kansas, plus contains a portion of western Missouri (in the east), and northeastern Oklahoma (south). For reference, the darkest green circle along the top edge of the image is Kansas City, which straddles the state line between Kansas and Missouri.
In this type of false-color image, vegetation appears bright green, water looks dark blue, and open land or land with little vegetation looks tan. Clicking on the dates below the images will allow comparison between an October with normal precipitation (2023) and this year’s drought (2024). It is also noteworthy that, in the 2024 image, Missouri (east) remains greener overall than Kansas or Oklahoma, but quite drier than in 2023. Parts of Missouri are also currently suffering severe drought, especially in the southwestern corner of the state.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/26/2024
Resolutions:
1km (146.9 KB), 500m (403.8 KB), 250m (463.1 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
