Update on Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region - July 7, 2015

Spotty rain throughout our region this week, in just the right spots, prompted the U.S. Drought monitor to mark drought improvements in South Dakota and Nebraska. These areas are no longer experiencing Moderate Drought (D1) for the first time in a couple months. The northern half of Nebraska received one inch or more of precipitation. Areas in the south saw spotty showers which delayed wheat harvest in parts of the state. The rest of Nebraska stayed dry with about 6 days suitable for fieldwork. While in South Dakota there were only about 5 days suitable for fieldwork.

Near normal temperatures and near normal precipitation allowed for winter wheat harvest to continue in Kansas. However, western parts of the state and eastern parts of Colorado are starting to dry out. The USDM noted that if precipitation is not received soon, the drought status will have to be changed to reflect the worsening conditions. The rising summer temperatures are not helping the situation. Other parts of Colorado that stayed dry and cool allowed producers to continue shifting focus on fieldwork. Progress in the harvest of winter wheat was significant last week.

Above average temperatures and near normal rainfall has caused rangeland vegetation to grow very well. But, there seems to be a bit too much and now there is concern for wildfires in parts of Wyoming, especially with the state recording their fourth warmest June on record without any sight of temperatures cooling down in the near future.

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