• the Palmer Indices and Standardized Precipitation Index,
• the runoff and soil moisture conditions as calculated by the National Weather Service,
  • the change in soil moisture conditions from the end of September to the end of October shows a marked drying trend along the east coast and in the central and southern Plains,
• the statewide reports of percent of the topsoil very dry ("short" to "very short") provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
• the percent of normal precipitation map for October,
• the percent of average precipitation map for the hydrologic year thus far (October 1-November 1, 2001) for the SNOTEL stations in the western mountains provided by the USDA Water and Climate Center,
• maps showing the departure from normal of the number of days with precipitation and the longest consecutive number of days with no precipitation for October,
• the statewide precipitation ranks for October (short-term) and August-October, May-October, and November 2000-October 2001 (longer-term), and
• the USGS October daily streamflow maps.

• NOAA satellite observations of vegetation health from the end of October reveal continued stress on vegetation in parts of the western U.S., including western Texas.
• The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is used by the National Interagency Fire Center to monitor the risk of wildfires. The late October KBDI showed dry conditions over much of the southwestern U.S., southern Plains, and Southeast from the Gulf Coast to mid-Atlantic states. The Forest Service fire danger analysis indicated a continuing risk of wildfires in the southern Rockies to central Plains and parts of Montana, North Dakota, New England, and the Midwest by the end of October.

• Declared drought emergencies continued in three western states (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho).
• Oregon had the driest November-October on record in 2001, Idaho second driest, Washington sixth driest, California seventh driest, and Nevada ninth driest.
• The Southwest region had the ninth driest September-October on record in 2001.
• The short-term dryness in the Southwest extended into the western sections of the southern Plains, which has been suffering from severe long-term drought.

• tenth driest October in 2001,
• seventh driest July-October,
• fifth driest April-October,
• eighth driest November-October, December-October, and January-October,
• by early November, Upper Delaware Basin reservoir storage declined to drought warning levels, triggering reductions in Delaware River flow targets and water diversions to New York City and New Jersey.

The very dry conditions during October led to hundreds of small wildfires in many eastern states from Kentucky and Virginia to South Carolina, and also in Massachusetts. Governor Bob Wise declared a state of emergency for southern West Virginia on October 31, with a total ban on outdoor burning in effect statewide.

For additional information on the 2001 wildfire season please see the National Interagency Fire Center web site or the U.S. Forest Service Fire and Aviation web site.

NCDC's Drought Recovery Page shows the precipitation required to end or ameliorate droughts and the probability of receiving the required precipitation.

Additional climate monitoring graphics can be found at the Climate Prediction Center's monitoring pages:

• Weekly, Monthly, 3-Month, 12-Month Monitoring
• El Nino, Drought, Snow Cover, and Degree Day Monitoring
• Weekly Drought Monitoring
• Soil Moisture Monitoring