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MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE CONTIGUOUS STATES IN DROUGHT;
U.S. AND GLOBAL TEMPERATURES WARMER THAN 100-YEAR AVERAGE IN JUNE

July 17, 2002 — Above-normal temperatures and drier than normal conditions led to a worsening drought situation across large parts of the United States in June, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. By the end of the month, 36 percent of the contiguous United States was in severe to extreme drought, based on a widely used measure of drought severity, the Palmer Drought Index. (Click image for larger view of NOAA's January to June 2002 statewide precipitation rankings.)

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center

NOAA's Drought Information Center

Media Contact:
Patricia Viets, NOAA Satellite and Information Service, (301) 457-5005