2012 Brief Year in Review

2012 was a warm and dry year for the High Plains Region. Every single station in the Region had average annual temperatures which were above normal. The majority of the Region had average temperatures which were 3.0-5.0 degrees F above normal, while some pockets of eastern North Dakota, southern South Dakota, and eastern Kansas had average temperatures greater than 5.0 degrees F above normal. The unusually warm temperatures caused many stations in each state to have their warmest year on record! Thousands of records were broken this year, including many all-time record highs.

The lack of precipitation was also major factor this year. While areas of Kansas and Colorado saw their second year of drought, the lack of precipitation coupled with warm temperatures caused the rest of the Region to slip into drought as well. By the end of 2012, nearly 27 percent of the Region was in the exceptional drought (D4) designation. Impacts from the drought were felt across the Region in many different sectors ranging from agriculture to water resources to even 4th of July celebrations. Wildfires were a major issue in the summer, especially in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The most destructive wildfire in Colorado's history occurred in June when nearly 350 homes were burned in the Colorado Springs area. Many communities cancelled their fireworks shows due to the high fire danger risk. The drought even contributed to the formation of a large dust storm in western areas of the Region in October, which closed many local roads and interstates.

Although the drought was the big story this year, there were a few significant severe weather events to highlight. The first tornadoes to ever be reported in February in Nebraska occurred. According to the National Weather Service in North Platte, NE, an EF0 tornado was confirmed 21 miles northeast of North Platte on February 28th. Another EF0 tornado occurred near Greeley, NE that day. At least 50 tornadoes were confirmed in Nebraska and Kansas on April 14th, the most active severe weather day of the year in the Region. Finally, the second highest altitude tornado on record occurred near Mt. Evans in Colorado. According to the National Weather Service in Boulder, CO, the EF0 tornado touched down at an estimated altitude of 11,900 feet on July 28th.

To check out the rankings in your area, see the tables below. To find more detailed information on monthly events, impacts, and records, please see the monthly climate summaries archive here.

*indicates multiple years, latest year listed

*indicates multiple years, latest year listed