Winter Precipitation Helped Some in Drought

Winter precipitation amounts caused national drought levels to drop from 57.7 percent to 54.2 from January to February. Winter wheat crops in the Southern Plains benefited from a few late-season snow storms that impacted the country in recent weeks. Wichita, Kan., saw its wettest February on record with 21.2 inches of snow. More than half of that amount, 14.2 inches, came from one storm that shut down airports on Feb. 21. Amarillo, Texas, also saw a surprising amount of snow, receiving 19 inches in one day.

Overall, the continental 48 had the 15th largest amount of seasonal snow cover for the 1966-present record with 127,000 more miles of coverage than the 1981-2010 average. Several states saw one of their top ten wettest winters, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. Massachusetts brought in its eighth wettest winter, and Rhode Island had its third. Alaska had 32 percent above its normal precipitation amounts. These above-average rain and snow amounts were seen across the Upper Midwest down to the Gulf Coast, with some of the biggest impacts in New England and the Central Plains.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/03/12/winter-precipitation-helped-some-in-drought-may-hurt-others/#ixzz2NLzEdCK6