Drought — Leake, Mississippi

2023-11-01 · Leake, Mississippi

Event narrative

Drought conditions in Leake County remained at D4 (Exceptional Drought) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Wider weather episode

The combined effects of persistent above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation starting in early July 2023 resulted in mounting drought impacts across much of the state of Mississippi. Through the month of November, D3 (Extreme Drought), as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor, expanded from western and central areas to also affect most of eastern Mississippi. D4 (Exceptional Drought) conditions persisted much of the central and southern portions of the state, but some improvement was noted in some areas south of Interstate 20 due to heavy rainfall. Average temperatures for the month were variable and ranged from around 2 degrees below normal to 2 degrees above normal. Observed precipitation ranged from around 30 to 70 percent of normal, but some locations in southern Mississippi did receive near-normal rain for the month. Soil moisture values continued to worsen in areas of northern Mississippi where drought conditions worsened - with subsoil moisture values 30 to 40 percent below normal through the Delta region by month's end. Subsoil moisture values across the southern half of the state saw some improvement to between between15 to 30 percent below normal. These conditions placed a severe stress on pastures for livestock and cropland at the end the growing season. Pine plantations and Christmas tree farms experienced severe losses especially among younger trees. In a study of over 13 million forested acres through western and central Mississippi surveyed by the Mississippi Forestry Commission, it was estimated that approximately 80,000 acres of pine trees were killed by drought stress. In the study area, this accounted for approximately 12.5 million pine trees lost. Streamflows on creeks and rivers were reduced.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1149782. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.