This is Archived Content. It may not meet current accessibility standards or contain working links. It is being provided for historical, research, or recordkeeping purposes. Please Contact Us if you have any questions regarding this content or its limitations.
Weekly High Plains Drought Update - August 30, 2018
Author: Gannon Rush - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2018-08-30 20:32:46
Updated:
According to this week’s U.S Drought Monitor, continued improvement occurred this week in eastern Kansas. Areas of abnormally dry (D0), moderate drought (D1), severe drought (D2), and extreme drought (D3) conditions were reduced after much needed rainfall in the past week. Despite the improvements, however, long-term deficits and impacts still remain. Southeast Colorado also saw reductions of D3, D2, and D1 conditions after several isolated storms moved through the area. D0 conditions were removed from extreme northwestern Wyoming. The only degradations this week occurred in northwest North Dakota, where continued dryness caused the northern part of the state to be placed into D0 conditions.
According to the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, corn and soybeans were faring well for the most part across the region, with the exception of Kansas, where over a quarter of the corn crop was rated poor to very poor. Pasture conditions improved in the southern half of the region, while pastureland in Wyoming and the Dakotas continued to degrade.
The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook indicates an increased chance for above-normal temperatures in eastern Kansas and eastern Nebraska. Increased chances of above-normal precipitation are present in the High Plains region except for most of Wyoming. The 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast indicates the likelihood of precipitation throughout the High Plains region, with the greatest amounts expected in eastern Nebraska.
