Update on Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region - June 9, 2015

Lots of rain for the Great Plains again this week. Heavy precipitation is no longer met with surprise for many of us. Areas in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Kansas have now essentially erased 60, 90, and 180 day deficits. Most of the drought that existed in March is now gone thanks to fairly heavy and continuous rainfalls. However this rain isn’t bringing all good news. The wet soil conditions again limited planting activities and were favorable for disease development in wheat. Alfalfa harvest continued to be challenging, with hay quality issues in some areas. Clear skies and warmer conditions were needed to boost growth and development of row crops.Wet conditions worried some that corn may need to be replanted. These issues seem to be widespread throughout our region.

Overall there was a slight reduction in Abnormal Dryness (D0) in central Nebraska and western North Dakota. The biggest improvement however was the cut in Moderate Drought (D1) in nearly half. The U.S. Drought Monitor marked these conditions as removed in southeastern Colorado, southeastern Kansas, northeastern Nebraska, and southeastern South Dakota. Over 75% of our region is now drought-free!

The next week looks to bring even more rains for much of the High Plains. Hopefully producers will be able to get a few days of planting in. As well temperatures are supposed to be warmer which should benefit the already planted crops.

To learn more about the U.S. Drought Monitor, please see: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu
To see the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook, please see the Climate Prediction Center
here:http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/sdo_summary.html

To see the areas of agriculture affected by the drought, please see the USDA link: http://www.usda.gov/oce/weather/Drought/AgInDrought.pdf

To see the impacts of the drought, please see the Drought Impact Reporter here: http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/
Check out the table below for the drought conditions over the past 2 months for the High Plains Region.

To view statistics of the High Plains Region and each state check out the Regional Statistics here:
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/MapsAndData/DataTables.aspx

Drought Condition (Percent Area): High Plains Region