July 2015 Climate Summary

It was a much milder month across the High Plains region. You can read part of what conditions were like below, or you can read the complete version here. 

Overview - Mild Weather

After several months of extremes, July was overall a milder and quieter month for the U.S. The majority of the country was near normal with temperature departures of 2.0 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) above or below normal. The main exceptions on the warm side were the Pacific Northwest, especially the state of Washington, and pockets of the South where temperature departures were generally 2.0-6.0 degrees (1.1-3.3 degrees C) above normal. Departures on the higher end occurred in the Pacific Northwest. Cooler weather occurred in portions of the Desert Southwest, the Four Corners region, and into Wyoming where departures of 2.0-4.0 degrees F (1.1-2.2 degrees C) below normal were common. Other areas of the High Plains region were largely near normal.

In regards to precipitation, California and Nevada were the big winners with precipitation totals in excess of 800 percent of normal at many locations. Meanwhile, areas of Washington, Oregon, and Texas received little to no precipitation. For the High Plains region, precipitation varied with wetter weather occurring in western Wyoming, western Colorado, and pockets of Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Dryness occurred in eastern Colorado, southwestern and central Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, and pockets of Kansas and the Dakotas.

Although average temperatures were near normal this month, there were plenty of hot and humid days. These conditions tended to facilitate crop development, but stress livestock. Corn development was generally ahead in the Dakotas, but behind in Nebraska and Kansas. Meanwhile, winter wheat and other small grain harvest was completed in southern areas and underway in northern areas. Severe weather, mainly in the form of high winds and hail, did cause some damage to crops in North Dakota, however the full impact of the damage will not be realized until harvest time. For the High Plains region, a total of 859 severe storm reports came into the Storm Prediction Center this month. Of this total 28 were tornado reports, 357 were hail reports, and 474 were wind reports.

Much more information is available in the PDF version of the summary including temperature and precipitation highlights, streamflow and drought updates, and a look at the upcoming season. Click here to read more!