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Weekly High Plains Drought Update - September 6, 2018
Author: Gannon Rush - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2018-09-06 19:18:09
Updated:
According to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor, there were both improvements and degradations in drought conditions across the High Plains region this week. Heavy rainfall in southeast Nebraska and north-central Kansas not only improved drought conditions but also caused flooding. However, certain parts of eastern Kansas largely missed out on these rains and, as a result, severe (D2) to exceptional drought (D4) conditions remain. To the north, across portions of the Dakotas, mounting precipitation deficits caused abnormally dry (D0) to severe drought (D2) conditions to expand. Meanwhile, western Colorado had a small increase in D4, while eastern parts of the state had slight improvements.
According to the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, corn improved in Colorado and soybeans improved in Kansas and North Dakota. Pasture conditions improved in Colorado, Kansas, and North Dakota while conditions worsened in South Dakota and Wyoming.
The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook favors above-normal temperatures throughout the High Plains. Chances of above-normal precipitation are present in North Dakota and northeast South Dakota. Chances for below-normal precipitation are present in Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and southwest South Dakota. The 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast indicates the likelihood of precipitation in the majority of the High Plains, with the greatest amounts expected in eastern Kansas.
