By Jason Vance
Contributor

U.S. drought coverage remained widespread through September, with more than 59% of the contiguous United States experiencing some level of drought at the end of the month, according to USDA Chief Meteorologist Brad Rippey.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor showed drought coverage across the lower 48 states was virtually unchanged from the beginning of September through the week ending Sept. 29. Meanwhile, drought conditions continued to affect major agricultural production areas, particularly the Cotton Belt and portions of the southern Great Plains.

Rippey noted that the nation had passed the one-year mark of experiencing drought coverage exceeding 40% every week, a streak that began Sept. 16, 2025.

Although the milestone highlights the persistence of dry conditions across the country, Rippey said it does not approach the record set earlier in the decade.

From late September 2020 through late February 2023, the United States experienced 126 consecutive weeks in which more than 40% of the country was in drought.

Agricultural impacts varied considerably by region, with much of the Midwest seeing improvement during September while drought persisted or intensified farther south.

The Corn Belt received generally favorable rainfall, although some areas of the western Corn Belt experienced excessive moisture. The rainfall helped reduce the percentage of corn and soybean production areas affected by drought.

By the week ending Sept. 29, just 21% of the nation’s corn production area was in drought, down from 28% at the beginning of September. For soybeans, drought coverage declined to 27%, compared with 30% four weeks earlier.

Rippey attributed much of the improvement to September rainfall across the Midwest. Soybeans continued to have a higher percentage of production area affected by drought because of persistent dryness in the southern United States, including the Mississippi Delta and Mid-South, where the crop represents a significant share of agricultural production.

Conditions were less favorable for some crops in the southern Great Plains and other drought-affected areas.

The contrasting conditions across the Corn Belt and the southern Great Plains illustrate how rainfall patterns can produce very different outcomes for crops grown in different regions. Although September precipitation helped ease drought across parts of the Midwest, persistent dryness continued to affect large portions of the Cotton Belt and sorghum-producing areas.