Persistent hot and dry conditions across the Southern Plains drove degradation in the U.S. Drought Monitor for data valid September 29, 2026, maintaining or expanding exceptional drought (D4) in northern Texas, western to southern Oklahoma, parts of Arkansas, central Colorado, and western Nebraska. The National Drought Mitigation Center’s analysis attributes this to continued high-pressure dominance, with below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures exacerbating soil moisture deficits and streamflow declines. Roughly 1.8% of the contiguous U.S. reached D4 intensity, concentrated in these regions, while monsoonal rains brought localized improvement farther west. The next USDM update, scheduled for October 8, will incorporate the October 6 data cutoff and any early-October precipitation shifts indicated by NOAA outlooks favoring above-normal temperatures in the south.