High Plains Weekly Drought Update - December 19, 2019

This week, the U.S. Drought Monitor has indicated improvement with regard to dryness and drought conditions in Colorado and Wyoming. Areas of abnormally dry (D0), moderate drought (D1), and severe drought (D2) in central Colorado were reduced due to continued snowfall that has resulted in above-normal snowpack values, along with a reduction of D0 conditions in Wyoming. Elsewhere in the High Plains, drought conditions remained unchanged.

Snow water equivalent (SWE) values in Colorado were reported as above median, resulting in the state snowpack as 126% of median. Wyoming’s SWE values were also reported near or above median, with the state as a whole at 125% of median.

The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook has increased chances for above-normal temperatures in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and eastern Wyoming. Above-normal precipitation is forecasted for Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, central and southern Wyoming, and central and eastern North Dakota, while below-normal precipitation is favored for extreme western North Dakota and northern Wyoming. The 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast predicts that light precipitation will occur in Kansas, central and eastern Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota, western Colorado, and parts of Wyoming. The greatest amounts are expected in southwestern Colorado.

Due to the holiday break and University shutdown, the next weekly drought update will be released the week of January 6^th. However, the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map will continue to be produced in the meantime. You can find it here: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.