U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook for Dec. 2 to Feb. 2011 (Text)

Following is the text of the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook as released by the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Maryland:

Latest Seasonal Assessment - Over the past few weeks, drought continued to increase in coverage and intensity across the southern and central Plains, and parts of the southeast. Meanwhile, due to recent precipitation, drought conditions have improved across the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians. Drought persistence and broad expansion is expected from central and southern Texas eastward along and near the Gulf Coast through the southern Atlantic Seaboard. Chances for drought improvement increase away from the coastal plains, with some improvement forecast across southern Arkansas, western North Carolina and northern parts of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi and with improvement anticipated for a large part of the Ohio Valley. Drought is projected to persist in the central and southern Plains, with drought expanding into parts of south-central Nebraska and northwestern Kansas. Due mainly to climate anomalies associated with moderate to strong wintertime La Ni? episodes, drought is expected to persist and/or expand from the southern Rockies, central Great Basin into central Nevada, and continue to improve in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies. Some improvement is indicated for Hawaii as conditions are expected to become more favorable for precipitation during the winter months. However, with protracted drought affecting much of the western sides of the islands, improvement does not appear likely.