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Weekly High Plains Drought Update - January 25, 2018
Author: Emily Brown - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2018-01-25 21:56:08
Updated:
A large winter storm hit the High Plains this week, which brought heavy snows stretched from Colorado to the Midwest. This helped trim some areas of dryness in eastern Nebraska and a small area of severe drought (D2) in western South Dakota. However, the D2 area in southern Colorado expanded eastward, while moderate drought conditions (D1) moved upward from Oklahoma into southeastern Kansas.
Snowpack in northern Wyoming continues to exceed 100% of normal, while the basins of Colorado continue to have below-normal Snow Water Equivalent (SWE). The state as a whole is at 63% and the following are updated SWE percentages as of January 25th: South Platte (87%), North Platte and Laramie (80%), Colorado (77%), Yampa and White (72%), Arkansas (56%), Gunnison (50%), San Miguel, Dolores, Animas, and San Juan (38%), and Upper Rio Grande (37%).
The Climate Prediction Center's 6-10 day outlook indicates increased chances for below-normal temperatures in the Dakotas and northern Wyoming, while above-normal temperatures are favored in Colorado and Kansas. Below-normal precipitation is also favorable for central Kansas, while Wyoming, western South Dakota, North Dakota, and northeastern Colorado have the likelihood of experiencing above-normal precipitation. According to the 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast, the greatest amounts of precipitation are predicted for northwestern Wyoming and the northern mountains in Colorado.
