U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook for Feb. 2 to April 2012 (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 - The updated drought outlook for February 2 - April 30, 2012 was based upon climate anomalies associated with La Nina, short to medium range forecasts, climatology, and initial conditions. Since the last FMA?2 USDO on Jan. 19, heavy precipitation finally paid a visit to the Northwest after near-record dryness during December and early January. SNOTEL Water-Year-to-date basin-averaged precipitation rose from 40-75 percent of normal on Jan. 16 to 60-110 in Washington, Oregon, and southern Idaho on Jan. 30. Farther south, values increased in California’s Sierra Nevada and northern parts of Nevada and Utah, rising from 25-65 percent of normal on Jan. 16 to 50 to 85 percent on Jan. 30. Basin average snow water content (SWC) also increased as well, approximately doubling from the Jan. 16 amount; however, the SWC totals were still below normal across much of the region. In contrast, little or no precipitation fell across southern California, southern Nevada, and most of Arizona and New Mexico during the past 2 weeks. Farther east, more precipitation in the south-central Plains and the Southeast brought additional drought relief to Oklahoma, Texas, and the northern edge of the drought area in the Southeast. Meanwhile, subnormal precipitation fell on southern Texas and from Florida northward to the mid-Atlantic.