(NDAgConnection.com) – Drought improvements were recorded for the week ending May 3 in the Pacific Northwest, Central Plains, South, and the Southeast, while degradations were registered in the Southwest, Texas, Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic.

According to the Drought Monitor report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the most severe of the ongoing active spring weather swept across the Central Plains and areas of the Midwest, where numerous tornadoes touched down in areas including eastern Kansas, southeastern Nebraska, and northern Illinois.

Widespread heavy rainfall amounts were also recorded, ranging from 2 to 7 inches, with the heaviest totals in eastern Nebraska.

The precipitation brought much-needed moisture to the region, boosting soil moisture levels across parched areas from Kansas to South Dakota.

In the West, fast-moving storm systems delivered late season high-elevation snowfall to the Cascades of northern Oregon and Washington, the Northern and Central Rockies, and areas of the northern Great Basin.

In California and the Southwest, conditions were dry during the past week with strong winds observed across the region, exacerbating fire-weather conditions in Arizona and New Mexico.