Weekly High Plains Drought Update - October 11, 2018

It was a cool and wet week for the High Plains, with several areas receiving much-needed rainfall. According to this week’s U.S Drought Monitor, significant improvements occurred with the drought in eastern Kansas after 5-10 inches of rain fell in the past week. Areas of exceptional drought (D4) and extreme drought (D3) conditions were removed along with reductions to severe drought (D2), moderate drought (D1), and abnormally dry (D0) conditions. In southeast Colorado, areal reductions of D2, D1, and D0 conditions occurred. Northwest Colorado received beneficial rainfall, which helped alleviate D4 and D3 conditions. In North Dakota, several areas experienced reductions of D2, D1 and D0 conditions, although minor expansions of D2 and D3 conditions occurred in the north-central part of the state.

According to the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, crop conditions this week stayed near the same with corn conditions improving in Colorado. However, with the growing season coming to an end for much of the region this month, many crops are being harvested at this time. Pasture conditions improved in Kansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming but worsened in Colorado.

The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook favors below-normal temperatures for Colorado, Kansas, southern Nebraska, and southern Wyoming while North Dakota has the chance of above-normal temperatures. Below-normal precipitation is also favored across most of the High Plains. The 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast indicates the likelihood of precipitation in the central to southern High Plains, with the greatest amounts expected in southern Kansas and the mountainous regions of Colorado.