That 87% is the highest percent of the CONUS in drought, going back to January 2000 (or maybe even farther).
US Drought Monitorhttps://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx
Most of the CONUS was warmer than normal and dry in September. The notable exception was over the Southeast CONUS where Hurricane Helene and it’s remnants caused devastating flooding in some areas.
Record dry Alabama and Mississippi, most of the CONUS was warmer than average.
Nationally and Locally over Southwest Michigan
Updated with State Maximum and Minimum Temperature Ranks and details on Florida and Michigan heavy rainfall amounts
Record to near record heat over the Southwest CONUS and parts of Florida, while the Midwest and Great Lakes was cooler and wetter than normal. Grand Rapids Michigan had it’s coolest month, relative to normal since April 2022!
(with a brief look at Southwest Michigan on the last slide)
This would suggest cooler than normal over the eastern CONUS and warmer than normal over the western CONUS. The wet weather over the central CONUS may last into the first week of June but most of the rest of June is expected to feature near to below normal precipitation.
The national trend of top 20 warmest months on record continued for both March and April. March was overall wet compared to average while March was closer to normal. Snowfall was above normal over the western Mountains but below normal (mostly ) elsewhere.
themarinocast 