January 2018 Climate Summary Now Available

Drought Continues to Spread and Intensify

Much of the High Plains experienced another dry month, with the greatest departures across the southern part of the region. Drought continued to expand and intensify throughout Kansas and Colorado. Despite the fact that the winter season does not greatly contribute to annual precipitation totals, a few impacts were already being reported and more are feared as spring arrives in a couple of months. For instance, the lack of snow in addition to the presence of cold temperatures put winter wheat at risk for damage. In Colorado, mountain snowpack got off to a slow start this season, and many were hoping that January would bring big snowstorms to help make up the deficit. However, it was another disappointing month for snowfall, and the deficit continued to grow, making it less likely that it will be made up this season. Ski resorts have not had enough snow to stay open daily, and there is growing concern that limited water supply will be an issue this summer. Additionally, fires continued to be problematic in January. In southwestern Kansas, an extended period of dry weather and high winds contributed to a fire starting in a cotton gin yard during the early part of the month, burning about 400 round modules. In South Dakota, a wildfire erupted in the western part of the state and grew to just over 500 acres. According to Darren Clabo, South Dakota state fire meteorologist, “classic” fire conditions were not in place at the time, but fuels were dry enough that a fire was able to ignite easily.

Temperatures were on the cool side throughout South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas in January. Bitterly cold temperatures were in place across much of the region at the beginning of the New Year, and several cold outbreaks followed throughout the month. It is interesting to note that much of the central and eastern U.S. were in a deep freeze the week of January 5th, which placed quite the demand on the energy sector. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, it was the largest weekly storage withdrawal of natural gas ever experienced in the U.S., and the cold temperatures also decreased natural gas production, causing prices to spike.

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