Weekly High Plains Drought Update - January 18, 2018

Frigid temperatures stretched across the northern High Plains this week, while warmer than normal temperatures were recorded in Colorado and western Wyoming. Upon further analysis, the US Drought Monitor has reduced the extreme drought (D3) area in western South Dakota to severe drought (D2) conditions. Due to continued below-normal precipitation, D2 conditions expanded in southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas. The D3 conditions in south central Kansas expanded both east and westward as well.

As of January 18th, snowpack in northern Wyoming still exceeded 100% of normal. The snow water equivalent (SWE) percentages in Colorado remained low, with the state as a whole at 60% of normal. The following are the updated SWE percentages from Colorado’s southwestern basins where snowpack is suffering the most: Gunnison (46%), San Miguel (33%), and the Upper Rio Grande (33%).

The Climate Prediction Center's 6-10 day outlook indicates favorable chances for below-normal temperatures in most of the High Plains, although above-normal temperatures are expected in southeastern Nebraska and eastern Kansas. However, the northern states have increased chances of above-normal precipitation, while below-normal precipitation is favored in parts of Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. According to the 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast, the greatest amounts of precipitation are predicted to be in the Colorado and Wyoming Rockies along with a band across northern Nebraska and southern and central South Dakota.