- Drought and abnormal dryness expanded across parts of the United States.
- Dry conditions worsened in southwest Colorado.
- Severe drought expanded in south-central Nevada.
- The Four Corners may see a wetter pattern in the days ahead.
Saturday, September 12, 2026 — Across much of the United States, drought conditions moved in two very different directions during the week covered by the September 10 U.S. Drought Monitor
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Parts of the central and south-central United States became hotter and drier. Meanwhile, heavy rain improved conditions in portions of the northern Plains, Pacific Northwest, and other scattered areas.
The most rapid deterioration stretched from much of Texas northeast toward the middle and lower Mississippi River Valley, where unusually warm temperatures combined with little rain.
Temperatures climbed 10 to 15 degrees above normal across portions of the central Great Plains, Corn Belt and Missouri. The hot, dry weather helped drought develop or intensify.
Conditions were different farther west. Much of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho was cooler than normal, while rain fell across portions of northern California, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
For the seven Colorado River Basin states, however, the picture remained mixed.
Southwest Colorado Gets Drier.
Southwest Colorado was among the areas where continued dry weather led to worsening drought conditions during the week.
Elsewhere in Colorado, the situation was different. Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches fell across parts of southwest Nebraska and the Nebraska Panhandle and into neighboring northeast Colorado. That rain reduced precipitation deficits and improved drought conditions in those areas.
The contrast illustrates the uneven conditions across the West. One portion of Colorado received enough rain for improvement while another continued to dry.
Severe Drought Expands in Nevada.
Nevada also saw deterioration.
In south-central Nevada, long-term precipitation deficits increased while groundwater and soil moisture shortages continued. As a result, severe drought expanded in that part of the state.
Across much of the broader West, temperatures were relatively mild during the week. Areas from the Great Basin west to the Pacific Ocean generally experienced temperatures near or below normal.
Northern California and southern Oregon were particularly cool, with some areas running 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
At the same time, widespread moderate to heavy precipitation stretched from northern California through portions of Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Some areas of western Montana and northern Idaho received 2 to 6 inches of precipitation, improving soil moisture and streamflow and reducing precipitation deficits.
A Mixed Picture Across the Basin States.
The September 10 report did not identify widespread drought changes across all seven Colorado River Basin states.
Instead, the report described notable changes only in localized areas. Southwest Colorado became drier. Severe drought expanded in south-central Nevada. Other portions of the West received significant precipitation, while much of the region experienced cooler temperatures.
Eastern New Mexico was an exception to the cooler western pattern. Temperatures there were generally 5 to 10 degrees above normal.
The report did not describe significant drought-category changes during the week in Arizona, Utah, or Wyoming.
Mostly Dry Weather in the Near-Term Forecast.
The short-term forecast called for mostly dry weather across much of the West from the evening of September 9 through September 14.
An exception was expected farther north, from north-central Idaho eastward through Montana and into North Dakota, where many areas were forecast to receive more than three-quarters of an inch of precipitation.
For much of the Colorado River Basin, however, the near-term forecast remained comparatively dry.
Four Corners Could Turn Wetter.
The outlook changes somewhat for September 15 through September 19.
During that period, above-normal precipitation is favored across much of the contiguous United States. The strongest western signal highlighted in the report is in the Four Corners states — Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
Near-normal precipitation is favored in parts of central and northern California and Nevada.
The forecast is an outlook, not a measurement of rainfall that has already occurred. The next U.S. Drought Monitor will show how conditions actually developed across the region.
