Monthly Drought and Impacts Summary

Precipitation totals ranged from 25 percent of normal in a small pocket of New York to over 200 percent of normal in sections of Maine and Pennsylvania. The majority of the region, however, saw precipitation totals ranging between 70 and 150 percent of normal.  Temperatures in much of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey were between 2 and 6 degrees above normal, while temperatures in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island were closer to normal—between 2 degrees below normal and 3 degrees above normal.  Maine was the coolest state in the region, with temperatures ranging between 2 degrees above normal and 5 degrees below normal.  The entire region remained drought free during December.

With the exception of southern coastal Florida, the Southeast received much above normal precipitation for December. Many areas saw at least 150 percent of normal precipitation for the month, while many locations in northeastern Florida and coastal Georgia received at least three times their normal December precipitation. Most of the Southeast was 4 to 6 degrees warmer than normal during December. Moderate drought was eliminated from northeastern Florida to southern South Carolina, resulting in a regional increase in moderate drought from 2.6 to 4.43 percent. Outside of southern Florida, the Southeast was drought free at the start of 2019.

Near- or above-normal precipitation fell in most of the South during December, with a few drier spots showing up in the western Texas Panhandle and Lower Rio Grande Valley. Numerous locations in central and northeastern Texas and in Oklahoma received at least 150 percent of their normal December precipitation. Aside from the western half of Texas, most of the South experienced near or warmer than normal temperatures. Many locations in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee were 4 to 6 degrees above normal for December. Moderate drought was removed from northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma, while moderate drought developed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Across the South, moderate drought coverage decreased slightly, from 0.93 to 0.67 percent.

Near- or above-normal precipitation for December was common in most of Missouri and Iowa (excluding southeastern Iowa and northeastern Missouri), Minnesota, and southern portions of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Drier than normal conditions were common in much of Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and spots in northern Indiana and northern Ohio. The entire region was warmer than normal during December, with temperature departures of 3 to 9 degrees above normal being common across the Midwest. The Midwest was drought free at the beginning and end of December, with a few pockets of abnormal dryness lingering at the beginning of 2019 in southwestern Missouri and northwestern Minnesota.

Dry conditions occurred during December in eastern Colorado and southeastern and central Wyoming, while above-normal precipitation fell in much of the rest of the High Plains region. Parts of central Nebraska received much above normal (4 to 8 times) their normal December precipitation. Most areas of the High Plains were warmer than normal in December. The warmest areas compared to normal were northern South Dakota and North Dakota, where temperatures soared to 6 to 10 degrees above December normals. Moderate drought was eliminated in central South Dakota and reduced in North Dakota. Across the High Plains states, exceptional drought coverage decreased from 2.73 to 2.29 percent, extreme drought coverage decreased from 6.84 to 5.54 percent, severe drought coverage slightly increased from 11.84 to 11.85 percent, and moderate drought coverage decreased from 20.49 to 18.27 percent.

Precipitation departures in the West during December were variable. The wettest areas (compared to December normals) were in eastern Montana, southeastern California, northwestern Nevada, and parts of New Mexico. The driest areas were in central and north-central Colorado, northwestern Wyoming, and western Montana. Warmer than normal conditions occurred in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and much of Montana, where some areas saw temperatures reach 6 to 8 degrees above normal for December. Elsewhere, generally warmer than normal conditions were common, except for parts of Utah, northern Nevada, southwestern Wyoming, and central and southwestern Colorado. Over the course of December, exceptional drought coverage dropped from 3.35 to 2.88 percent, extreme drought coverage decreased from 10.84 to 8.35 percent, severe drought coverage dropped from 28.95 to 27.22 percent, and moderate drought coverage dropped from 55.06 to 53.25 percent.