Though spring doesn’t officially begin for another few weeks, forecasters are taking stock of the drought that’s dominated much of the U.S. this winter. U.S. Drought Monitor maps for the last few months show the drought has slowly eased in some parts of the country, with dry conditions easing east of the Mississippi River and into the mid-South and Southeast. As temperatures moderate, the focus will turn to snow water percentages in the western U.S. and growing degree days that will be critical to early spring crop establishment. In the short term, the upper Midwest and northern Plains will likely stay dry this week, with more rainfall chances in the Southeast. A week from now, a more active pattern is expected to deliver more precipitation chances in a line from the Southwest through the western and central Corn Belt. See more from the latest outlook.