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High Plains Weekly Drought Update - April 16, 2020
Author: Gannon Rush - High Plains Regional Climate Center
Published: 2020-04-16 19:51:45
Updated:
According to the U.S Drought Monitor, drought conditions deteriorated in Colorado and Kansas this past week. Severe drought (D2), moderate drought (D1), and abnormally dry (D0) conditions were expanded across eastern Colorado after continued dryness. D1 and D0 conditions were slightly expanded in southwest Kansas as well.
As of April 15th, snow water equivalent (SWE) values in Colorado basins were reported as near to above median except for the southwest basins, resulting in a statewide snowpack of 99% of median. As of April 13th, SWE values in Wyoming basins were also reported as near to above median, with the exception of the Sweetwater, Belle Fourche, and Cheyenne Basins.
The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook has increased chances for above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation throughout the High Plains. The National Weather Service’s 7-day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast predicts that precipitation will occur in Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, and extreme southwest South Dakota. The greatest amounts are expected in eastern Kansas.
