According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s update published Thursday, 39.49% of Puerto Rico remains under extreme drought (D3), a slight improvement from 40.99% the previous week. Overall, land under some level of dryness or drought fell from 82.91% to 79.64%. Severe drought (D2) dropped from 21.27% to 18.29%, and moderate drought (D1) fell from 12.95% to 11.32%, while abnormally dry conditions (D0) rose from 7.70% to 10.54%.
Extreme drought fully covers Lajas, Guánica, Peñuelas, Santa Isabel, Aibonito, Humacao, Las Piedras, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Carolina, Canóvanas and San Juan, plus Vieques and Culebra. Some central, north-central and western areas received one to five inches of rain during the evaluated period, improving areas under severe and moderate drought, and slightly easing extreme drought in the southeast, though not enough to significantly relieve the most critical conditions.
The report noted a shift in atmospheric pattern from the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly to southeast trade winds bringing scattered showers, but rainfall was insufficient to relieve persistent extreme drought, especially given groundwater deficits in monitoring wells. Extreme drought can cause crop losses, livestock feed shortages, water quality deterioration and aquifer reductions.