U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook for 2012

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook IANE NORA Drought Tendency During the Valid Period Valid for March 15 - June 30, 2012 Released March 15, 2012 Improvement. No Drought Posted/Predicted Improvementť Some Improvement Development KEY: Persistence Persistence Drought to persist or intensify No Drought Posted/Predicted // Drought ongoing, some improvement Depicts large-scale trends based on subjectively derived probabilities guided by short- and long-range statistical and dynamical forecasts. Short-term events -- such as individual storms -- cannot be accurately forecast more than a few days in advance. Use caution for applications -- such as crops -- that can be affected by such events. "Ongoing" drought areas are approximated from the Drought Monitor (D1 to D4 intensity). For weekly drought updates, see the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. NOTE: the green improvement areas imply at least a 1-category improvement in the Drought Monitor intensity levels, but do not necessarily imply drought elimination. Drought likely to improve, impacts ease Drought development likely