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Weekly High Plains Drought Update - June 22, 2017
Author: Emily Brown - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2017-06-23 13:59:57
Updated:
Over half a million people in the Dakotas are in areas of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s depictions this week. Areas that were degraded to Extreme Drought (D3) experienced a precipitation departure of more than 3 inches below normal in the past 60 days. North Dakota’s areas with D3 conditions are located in the western and central parts of the state. A pocket of D3 conditions also exists in South Dakota around the Cheyenne River Reservation and Lake Oahe. Reports of poor pasture conditions are widespread all over the Dakotas. Ranchers are liquidating herds due to a shortage of alfalfa for feed.
Elsewhere in the High Plains, there were both degradations and improvements in conditions this week. Northeastern Wyoming and central Colorado have continued to be abnormally dry (D0), and central Nebraska has been degraded to D0 classification. The concern in Nebraska is raised by low precipitation and high winds, which may lead to rapid soil moisture depletion. An improvement this week was in southeastern Kansas, where their D0 status was lifted due to several showers moving through the area in the past week.
Looking forward, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center has forecasted an increased chance of above normal temperatures for the western half of the High Plains and below normal precipitation for Wyoming in the upcoming week. The rest of the region has equal chances for above, below, and near-normal temperatures and precipitation.
