January 2008 High Plains Climate Summary

Region Breakdown

Cold temperatures dominated most of January for Colorado and Wyoming, with beneficial snows in the mountains of central and western Colorado and Wyoming. For Southwest and South Central Colorado the average temperature for January was 8-10F below the 1971-2000 normal.

In Nebraska and the Dakotas, a period of unusually warm weather in the last week of January moderated the average temperature for January, with highs reaching into the 50’s for several locations before a dramatic drop of close to 60F with the passing of a cold front on January 28.

Most of Kansas saw near-normal temperatures on average, but experienced large temperature swings similar to Nebraska and the Dakotas.

Eastern Colorado, Western and Central Nebraska, and North/South Dakota were below normal with very little precipitation, if any, falling, while areas along the NE/SD border received near normal amounts of precipitation. Cold temperatures allowed snow cover from December, along with some snowfall associated with the frontal passage in late January to persist in Central/Northeastern Nebraska for almost all of January.

Precipitation Summary

January 2008 was dry for portions of Central/Western Nebraska, eastern Colorado, and the Dakotas. Colorado was a state divided. The mountain regions of west-central CO received 150-200% of normal precipitation, while the high plains of eastern CO received next to nothing.

Although Nebraska appears dry for much of January, the cold temperatures that dominated for half of the month, coupled with snowfall from December 2007 allowed many locations to retain snow cover for the entire month of January, with the exception of the urban areas of Lincoln and Omaha, where warm temperatures at the end of January made a rapid dent in the snow cover.

Most locations in Colorado had their biggest snowfall day of the month January 7th - 9th, with the Colorado Drainage Basin as the big winner, with most locations at 150%-200% of Normal. Crested Butte, Colorado in the Colorado Drainage Basin reported 73.7 inches of snowfall in January 2008.

Areas of Western Wyoming also won out, with 150-200% of normal precipitation. Moose, WY (near Yellowstone) saw an impressive 5.93 inches of liquid precipitation, helping to fill a rainfall deficit that accumulated there in 2007.

Climate Outlook

With La Nina ENSO conditions expected for the remainder of the cold season, as NOAA forecasters continue to call for above-average temperatures and dryer than normal conditions for much of the southern High Plains. A greater chance of above normal precipitation is expected in Wyoming. This winter outlook is produced by scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. More information can be found here: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/.

Drought Watch

Continued degredation occured in portions of western ND as January remained dry. Some categorical improvement is expected in western portions of the Dakotas in through April 2008, according to the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook released January 17. An even higher likelyhood of categorical improvement is expected in western Wyoming. Persisting drought conditions are expected in North Central ND, with possible intensification in portions of Southwest Kansas and Southeast Colorado.