May 2017 Climate Summary Now Available

Overview - Wet Spring Causes Crop Disease

Wet conditions continued in May for parts of the High Plains region, including eastern Colorado, western and central Kansas, and much of Nebraska. The spring season, which is defined as the March-May period, was very wet for these areas and for central Wyoming as well. The following top 10 records for wettest spring occurred throughout the region: Dodge City, KS (2nd wettest), Goodland, KS (3rd wettest), Pueblo, CO (3rd wettest), Lander, WY (4th wettest), Chadron, NE (5th wettest), and Casper, WY (9th wettest). Rocky Mountain snowpack was impressive this season, as Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) in the Upper Missouri Basin was above normal for most of the season and snowpack peaked two weeks later normal in late April/early May. The combination of above-normal snowpack and increasing temperatures have already caused flooding in Colorado and Wyoming, and more flooding is expected downstream as snowmelt continues to run off. The wet spring and untimely cool temperatures contributed to several problems in the agricultural fields in Kansas and Nebraska. In Kansas, wheat stripe rust continued to spread across the state. The fields that were impacted by the heavy snow event in western Kansas in late April/early May are still being evaluated, but some damage has already been spotted. In Nebraska, black stem disease was reported in alfalfa in the western part of the state, and Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus became prevalent in the southern Panhandle. Producers in both states were concerned about the excess moisture causing root rot and diseases in corn.

In contrast, it was dry across much of the Dakotas during the spring, and precipitation deficits accumulated quickly. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought spread rapidly across the Dakotas in May as impacts became more apparent. Below-normal spring temperatures delayed planting and slowed crop growth in this region. During the month of May, the percent of topsoil moisture rated short to very short increased from 7 percent to 36 percent in North Dakota and from 12 percent to 38 percent in South Dakota. This is something to watch closely as we head into summer.

For more information on temperature, precipitation, and impacts from climate in May in the High Plains region, please see the link to the full PDF of the summary: http://hprcc.unl.edu/climatesummaries.php