Weather Underground : Beneficial rains over portions of the Central U.S. during the past week put a slight dent in the nation's worst drought since 1954. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, the amount of the contiguous U.S. in moderate to extreme drought declined last week to 59%, down from the 65% peak of September 25, 2012. However, the intense drought is likely to persist through the winter, and its already heavily impacting the Winter Wheat growing season, which began in October. NOAA's latest State of the Drought product advised that the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for the Primary Hard Red Winter Wheat area reached the lowest value since the 1950s in October. The persistent drought is also a major problem for Mississippi River navigation. According to a November 17 AP story, the Mississippi is so low that if it drops another five feet, barge traffic may shut down from St. Louis to the confluence of the Ohio River at Cairo, IL. The Army Corps of Engineers plans to lower the level of the Mississippi by 2 - 3 feet over the next few weeks, due to the need to conserve water in the upper Missouri River basin. The latest two-week forecast from the GFS model predicts very little in the way of precipitation over the nation's drought-stricken region over the next ten days, which is good for holiday travel, but will worsen the drought.
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