February 2026 Climate Summary

Regional Breakdown

February concluded a rough winter for many, with the overall trend of warm and dry continuing into yet another month. Drought is becoming a much bigger concern as the calendar shifts to springtime, with the potential for this winter to have significant impacts down the road. Associated with drought, both dust and fires were prevalent this month throughout the lower half of the region.

Harkening back to the infamous Dirty Thirties, dust storms were a significant issue on the 17^th. Strong winds in excess of 60 mph (97 km/h) picked up loose soil and led 29 cars and seven semis to pile up along I-29 near Pueblo, Colorado. More than two dozen people were taken to the hospital, while unfortunately, multiple people were killed. In Kansas on the same day, another multivehicle pileup would occur along I-70 between Colby and Oakley due to blowing dust. Several people were admitted to the hospital, while one person was killed.

On the same day, the strong winds also caused a rash of fires across the southern half of the region. Starting in Oklahoma, the Ranger Road fire quickly spread over 65 miles (104 km) into southwestern Kansas. Over 11,000 people were forced to evacuate from the towns Ashland, Englewood, and Tyrone. Over 300,000 acres (121,405 hectares) were burned between the two states, with dozens of cattle also killed. In northwestern Kansas, a rapidly spreading wildfire led to the evacuation of Herndon. To the west in Colorado, over 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) were burned between Elbert and Lincoln counties and evacuation orders were also issued.

Temperature and Precipitation Overview

Above: Departure from 1991-2020 normal temperature (left) and percent of normal precipitation (right) for February 2026 in the High Plains region. Maps
produced by the High Plains Regional Climate Center and are available at: http://hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current .

Precipitation

Outside of a few pockets, precipitation was below normal across the High Plains. The few scattered areas that did receive meaningful precipitation included most of North Dakota, eastern Colorado into northwestern Kansas, and eastern Kansas. Looking at the entire winter, multiple locations across the region observed less than 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) of precipitation during the entire season.

February was a brutal month for some in the region, with large swaths reporting less than 0.10 inches (2.54 mm). In Wyoming, Cody and Torrington observed less than 0.05 inches (1.27 cm), while Laramie was only slightly better with 0.06 inches (1.52 mm). Outside of the Yellowstone National Park area, snowfall was not anything to write home about either, with places like Casper, Cheyenne, and Lander all receiving less than 5 inches (12.7 cm) of snow. South Dakota was also exceptionally dry, outside of the northeastern corner, with several locations reporting trace or zero precipitation. Towns like Canton, Yankton, and Kennebec observed trace amounts to tie for their driest February, while places such as Miller, Newell, and White Lake reported zero. For Yankton and Miller, this was their first February ever with no recorded snowfall. Further south in Nebraska, notable locations including Columbus, Kearney, Norfolk, Scottsbluff, and Sidney all record 0.10 inches (2.54 mm) or less precipitation this month.

For the winter as whole, the picture is pretty bleak. In Colorado, Akron only observed 0.06 inches (1.52 mm) of precipitation to rank driest. The station in Akron does not record snowfall data, but to the northeast, a station near Leroy only logged 2.4 inches (6.1 cm) of snow for its lowest wintertime amount. Just across the border in southwestern Nebraska, the situation this winter was just as abysmal. Culbertson only recorded 0.17 inches (4.32 mm) of precipitation, which was just a hair less than the previous record of 0.18 inches (4.57 mm) set in 1903-1904. On the opposite side of the state, Wakefield observed 0.55 inches (13.97 mm) of precipitation to rank driest. Combined with the exceptionally warm temperatures this winter, drought expanded and intensified across much of the region.

Regional Precipitation

Above: Total precipitation in inches (left) and departure from normal precipitation in inches (right) for February 2026. These maps are produced by
HPRCC and can be found on the Current Climate Summary Maps page at: http://hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current.

Temperatures

Even with several cold snaps, much of the High Plains recorded above normal temperatures this month. Western Wyoming continued to be the warmest for the third month in a row, with temperatures over 9 degrees F (5 degrees C) above normal. In the state, there were a total of 115 stations recording their warmest November-January on record.

The continual warmth in the western half of Wyoming has been one of the bigger stories these past few months, with Riverton being the epicenter. The town once again had a record month, with this January being the warmest on record with an average temperature of 28.4 degrees F (-2 degrees C). This stretch since November has been the warmest by far, with an average temperature of 33.7 degrees (0.9 degrees C), which is well above the previous record of 31.4 degrees F (-0.3 degrees C) set in 1933-1934. To the north, the situation at Boysen Dam is similar to that of Riverton. January was the warmest, while the average temperature for the past three months was 34.8 degrees F (1.6 degrees C), much warmer than the previous record of 31.5 degrees F (-0.3 degrees C) in 1953-1954. Other notable locations, including Casper, Lander, and Sheridan, also broke their records by up to 2.5 degrees F (1.4 degrees C).

Despite the overall warmth these past few months, there was a stretch of bone-chilling cold in January. In the latter half of the month, much of the region plunged into subzero temperatures. Along the Canadian border in North Dakota, Bottineau bottomed out at -44 degrees F (-42.2 degrees C) on the 25th. This would be the coldest January temperature there since 2019, when coincidentally it was -44 degrees F (-42.2 degrees C), and only the sixth time the station has been equal to or less than -44 degrees F (-42.2 degrees C) in January. Outside of this year and 2019, the only other time it has been that cold in January is in the 1910s. Temperatures reached – 20 degrees F (-28.9 degrees C) as far south as central Kansas; however, the cold didn’t last for long as some places were near or above 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) just a few days later.

Drought Conditions

Drought predominantly intensified this month, particularly across the central part of the High Plains. Extreme drought (D3) was reintroduced in Nebraska for the first time since June of last year, while D3 also remerged in Wyoming. This winter’s lacking snowfall has begun to catch up with much of the region, mainly in the Rockies. Overall, the percentage of the region in D0 to D4 (abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions) increased by over 6 percent.

Nebraska has steadily slipped back into drought since the fall, however, the situation rapidly escalated this month. Just over 77 percent of the state is in D1 (moderate drought) or higher at the end of February, a nearly 25 percent increase. Large increases like this are unusual during the winter months, however, snowfall has been noticeably absent. An area of D3 was introduced in the panhandle, primarily over Morrill County.

To the west in Wyoming, the drought situation deteriorated just as fast. The percentage of the state in at least D1 rose over 32 percent this month, with 78 percent of the state currently engulfed. For the most part, the worst conditions are limited to the southern half of the state with two areas of D3 near Cheyenne and Green River. The areas near Yellowstone National Park are portions drought-free, thanks to slightly above-normal precipitation this winter.

Outside of Nebraska and Wyoming, some minor changes occurred. This included the expansion of D1 across all of southern South Dakota, which has missed much of the snow these past few months. In Colorado, the abysmally low snowpack has led to intensification in the northern half of the state. Kansas has remained in decent shape due to several snowstorms; however, conditions have slowly deteriorated along the border with Oklahoma. Elsewhere in the region, both improvements and degradation were observed. According to the Climate Prediction Center’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for March, drought is likely to persist throughout most of the region.

U.S. Drought Monitor	Drought Monitor 1-Month Change

The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced as a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Drought Mitigation Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For current Drought Monitor information, please see: http://
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Climate Outlooks

According to the Climate Prediction Center, a La Niña Advisory is present.  For more information, visit: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evo-
lution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

The National Weather Service’s long-range flood outlook indicates increased chances of minor flooding in South Dakota through the end of May. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), fire potential will be elevated in Kansas in March.  

The seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks presented below combine the effects of long-term trends, soil moisture, and, when applicable, the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle (ENSO). To learn more about these outlooks, please visit http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.

Temperature

The three-month temperature outlook shows an increased chance of above-normal temperatures across the southern half of the United States, while below-normal temperatures are favored in the north-central portions. In the High Plains, warmer temperatures are favored in Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, while cooler temperatures are possible in northeastern North Dakota.

Precipitation

The precipitation outlook for the next three months indicates above-normal precipitation in the Great Lakes, while below-normal precipitation is favored for the southwestern United States. Below-normal precipitation is favored for the drought-stricken states of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Drought

The U.S Seasonal Drought Outlook released on February 28th indicates drought will likely intensify and develop across eastern Colorado and western Kansas.