September 2008 Climate Summary

Region Breakdown
Overall, September was cool for most of the region with monthly average temperature departures from normal ranging from 2-4°F below normal.  However, the entire month was not cool as most places experienced a cool spell at the beginning of the month, followed by warming through the end of the month.
Each state had precipitation amounts that were well above and well below normal.  North Dakota was a state divided with ample precipitation in the eastern half which helped to alleviate drought conditions and below normal precipitation in the western half where drought conditions persist.  Kansas had a similar situation with little to no precipitation along the Kansas-Colorado border and precipitation totals over 300% of normal in south central portions of the state.  Relief should be on the way however.  According to the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook released September 18, these areas should show improvement over the next few months.

Precipitation Summary
September 2008 was dry for southern Colorado, the western Dakotas, and portions of Wyoming and Nebraska.  Drought conditions continue in western North Dakota, western Wyoming, and places along the Colorado-Kansas border, and the lack of precipitation in South Dakota helped contribute to the development of moderate drought conditions.  Rain in eastern North Dakota and eastern Nebraska helped alleviate drought conditions, with many locations receiving 150-300% of normal precipitation.  One exceptionally wet spot was Wichita, KS where they experienced the wettest September on record* with 12.96 inches of precipitation.  Additionally, a new 24-hour rainfall record was set on September 12th for the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport where 10.31 inches of rain fell.  This crushed the old record of 1.75 inches set back in 1961.  

Climate Outlook
ENSO conditions remain neutral and are expected to persist through the end of 2008.  NOAA forecasters are predicting chances of above normal temperatures for all of the High Plains region during the months of October – December.  Equal chances of above, near, or below normal precipitation conditions exist for all but a portion of southern Colorado where there are chances for below normal precipitation.  This outlook is produced by scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center.  More information can be found here: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/.

While drought conditions persist across western North Dakota and places along the Colorado-Kansas border, there has been some improvement across the High Plains region.  The eastern half of North Dakota and Nebraska received ample rainfall and are no longer experiencing drought conditions.  The eastern part of South Dakota, however, is now under moderate drought conditions (D1).  Wyoming has largely remained unchanged except for the pocket of severe drought conditions (D2) in the southwest which has improved to moderate drought conditions (D1).