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Weekly High Plains Drought Update - October 26, 2017
Author: Emily Brown - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2017-10-29 17:27:21
Updated:
Drought in the Northern Plains persisted with above-normal temperatures and strong winds. This led to the expansion of moderate drought (D1), and severe drought (D3) conditions in western South Dakota, while abnormally dry (D0) conditions were introduced to eastern North Dakota. Above-normal precipitation in western Montana led to the improvement from severe drought (D2) to D1 conditions and a reduction of D0 conditions.
Despite several high wind alerts issued by the National Weather Service this week, pasture conditions continued to improve by 3% in Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. However, Colorado and Wyoming saw a decrease in pasture conditions, with 9% of Colorado’s and 24% of Wyoming’s pastures in the poor to very poor rating. Corn crop conditions in Colorado also degraded by 3%, but Nebraska’s corn continues to improve.
The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s 6 - 10 day outlook forecasts chances of below-normal temperatures throughout the High Plains. Below-normal precipitation is favored in Kansas, eastern Colorado, and Nebraska, while above-normal precipitation could occur in Montana, North Dakota, and northern Wyoming. The 7 - day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast is predicting light precipitation over the region, with heavier precipitation in the mountainous areas of Colorado and Montana.
