Although western sections of the South were mainly dry, light to moderate (0.5-2.5 inches) rain fell on southeastern Texas. With October normally one of the wetter months in central Texas, spotty precipitation during September and October plus this week’s lack of rain made it ideal to expand the D0 across southwestern and central areas into northeastern Texas. Some areas that were already in D0 went to D1 in central Texas, as did extreme northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma, areas that did not receive rain from Harvey. Farther to the north and west where Harvey rains missed, both 60- and 90-day precipitation has been less than 50 percent of normal, creating 4-8 inch shortages. Accordingly, where both the 2- and 3-month SPIs and deficits were similar, D2 was added in northeastern Texas. In western Oklahoma, the two D0 areas were merged into one (similar 60-day conditions), and although the 30-day precipitation has been extremely dry in western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle the 60-and 90-day tools were wet, thus holding off widespread D0 deterioration in much of this area for now.
Looking ahead, light to moderate rain (1-1.5 inches) is expected in a narrow band from central Texas eastward to coastal Georgia and the Carolinas, along the far western Gulf Coast, and in the northern Great Lakes region. It should be dry in the Southwest, Great Basin, and northern and central Plains, with only light amounts (less than 0.5 inches) elsewhere. Temperatures should average above normal in the Southwest, Great Basin, and Rockies, and near to below-normal in the eastern half of the Nation.
Read more at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu