July 2017 Climate Summary Now Available

Overview - Drought Continues to Spread and Cause Stress to Crops

July provided little relief to areas dealing with drought this past spring and summer, as most of the High Plains ended the month with below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures. The Northern Plains drought continued to spread and intensify, reaching farther across the Dakotas and southward into northern and central Nebraska. Crop stress increased in severity and became more widespread, as much of the corn and soybean crops in this region did not get adequate moisture when it was needed most. Impacts to livestock and ranching were evident during July as well. Pasture conditions worsened, and by the end of the month more than two-thirds of pastureland in the Dakotas was in poor to very poor condition. Furthermore, the quality of water in livestock ponds declined, causing livestock to become ill and die. The USDA approved additional Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land for emergency haying and grazing to alleviate drought impacts to livestock.

Despite the widespread dryness, above-normal precipitation occurred throughout portions of eastern Colorado, central and eastern Nebraska, and eastern South Dakota. These conditions favored the development and intensification of corn disease in some areas. For instance, warm nighttime temperatures and high relative humidity caused the spread of southern rust. According to Nebraska CropWatch, bacterial leaf streak has been a significant disease in Nebraska in 2017, and it increased in severity during July as the disease moved into the upper leaves in some corn fields.  Diplodia leaf streak, a corn disease that develops and spreads in warm, wet conditions, was discovered in Nebraska for the first time.

Heat was a common feature throughout the High Plains, resulting in several top 10 records for warmest July. Near-record-low relative humidities were reported in areas of drought, especially across portions of Montana, and contributed to the high temperatures as well as exacerbated drought conditions. High temperatures combined with high humidity to create high heat index values and dangerous conditions in the eastern part of the region.

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