Weekly High Plains Drought Update - September 21, 2017

Drought condition improvements in Montana and North Dakota were noted in this week’s Drought Monitor. These two states, along with much of Wyoming and northern South Dakota, saw over 400% of normal precipitation, improving the previous drought conditions. Along with the high rainfall totals, the northwestern area of the High Plains saw temperatures up to 8°F cooler than normal, while warmer temperatures occurred across the southeast portion of the region. Central and eastern Montana saw the improvement of the persistent exceptional drought (D4) area, covering 7% less area of the state than last week. Western North Dakota conditions improved from extreme drought (D3) to severe drought (D2), while central North Dakota was reduced from the D2 category to moderate drought (D1). The central Kansas D1 drought persists, with a pocket of D2 introduced west of Wichita.  

The plentiful rainfall experienced by the Northern Plains this week helped crop and pasture conditions improve. Some of the wildfires in Montana have been contained, with 7 fewer large fires than last week, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. South Dakota and Wyoming have no uncontrolled large burns, unlike last week. The USDA also reports significant reductions in percentages of short to very short topsoil moisture in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota, thanks to the above normal precipitation.

According to the Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day forecast, there is an increased chance for below-normal temperatures in Colorado, Kansas, southern Wyoming, and southern Nebraska, while Montana and western North Dakota have an increased chance of above-normal temperatures. Unlike last week, the probability of below-normal precipitation is likely across much of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming, while above-normal precipitation is likely for portions of Kansas and Colorado. The 7-day outlook from the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast is predicting rainfall across the High Plains region, with the largest concentration stretching northeast from western Kansas to eastern South Dakota.