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August 2018 Climate Summary Now Available
Author: Crystal Stiles - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2018-09-10 19:37:04
Updated:
Summer Ends on a Cool Note
Similar to July, August was rather cool across much of the High Plains region. While most areas saw only slightly below-normal temperatures, the Black Hills region of South Dakota experienced temperature departures exceeding 4.0 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) below normal. Despite below-normal temperatures in July and August, the warmth experienced in June led to near-normal summer temperatures on the whole. The notable exception was Colorado, where temperatures remained above normal for most of the summer. With widespread temperature departures of 2.0-4.0 degrees F (1.1-2.2 degrees C) above normal, several locations across the state had a top 10 warmest summer on record.
Precipitation in August varied throughout the region. Portions of Nebraska and Kansas saw record-breaking rainfall and flooding, while much of the rest of the region was dry. As for summer precipitation, it also varied across the High Plains. An area of excessively wet conditions extended from the Black Hills region southward and eastward into Nebraska and central Kansas. Although streamflows ran high and flooding occurred in some locations, drought conditions significantly improved in parched areas. Meanwhile, much of Colorado and eastern Kansas experienced a very dry summer, and as a result, drought expanded and intensified and streamflows were especially low.
Harvest is around the corner, and as of the end of August, row crops were generally in decent shape across the region. Corn was still on track to mature early due to the extreme warmth in the early part of the summer, which should minimize the risk for a damaging frost. As of August 1st, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was predicting record-high corn yields for South Dakota and Nebraska, and Nebraska was also predicted to have record-high soybean yields this year. However, flooded fields in parts of Kansas and Nebraska may slow harvest in these areas, and late-season crop diseases were detected. For instance, bacterial leaf streak disease was reported in corn in Nebraska and South Dakota.
For more information on temperature, precipitation, and impacts from climate in August in the High Plains region, please see the link to the full PDF of the summary: https://hprcc.unl.edu/climatesummaries.php
