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Weekly High Plains Drought Update - September 20, 2018
Author: Gannon Rush - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2018-09-20 20:20:21
Updated:
According to this week’s U.S Drought Monitor, drought conditions continued to worsen in most of the High Plains. In the Dakotas, areas of moderate (D1) and severe (D2) drought conditions expanded, and (D2) conditions were introduced to specifically to southwestern North Dakota and west-central South Dakota. In eastern Kansas, D2 and extreme drought (D3) conditions expanded towards central Kansas. Exceptional drought (D4) conditions expanded northward into west-central Colorado. In southwest Wyoming and central Colorado, abnormally dry (D0) and D1 conditions expanded.
According to the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, crop conditions this week stayed near the same as last week. Pasture conditions worsened in the Dakotas, Colorado, and Wyoming.
The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook favors below-normal temperatures for a majority of the High Plains region. Increased chances of precipitation are present in North Dakota and eastern Kansas, but below-normal precipitation is expected in Colorado and western Wyoming. The 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast indicates the likelihood of precipitation throughout most of the High Plains, with the greatest amounts expected in south-central Nebraska, north-central Kansas, and eastern North Dakota.
