Regional Breakdown

August capped off a warm and dry summer for a large portion of the High Plains. Temperatures were once again scorching hot in Colorado, while Nebraska finally received meaningful amounts of precipitation this month. Agricultural conditions are a mixed bag, with crops in decent shape while pasture and soil conditions are poor for most states.

Despite a drier month, there were a few rounds of significant severe weather in South Dakota and Nebraska on the 11th and 12th. Several hailstones over 4 inches (10.16 cm) fell, with the largest two being 4.5 inches (11.43 cm) that dropped near Prairie City, South Dakota, and Rushville, Nebraska. Tremendous damage was reported in South Dakota, with the windows broken or smashed and serious denting on numerous vehicles. Homes in the area were severely damaged, with windows broken and siding pelted. Further south near Pine Ridge, more homes and vehicles were damaged, including a hailstone that was lodged into the roof of a house after going through the shingles and underlying plywood. The start of the school year was also delayed for Loneman School, after the buses were severely damaged. Just a few days later, Ord, Nebraska was ravaged by 90 mph (145 km/h) gusts, which crushed a grain elevator and led to power outages. Ord Public Schools also had to delay the start of the school year after the damage to the area.

Corn conditions are less than stellar in several states. Over 30 percent is rated poor to very poor in Colorado, Kansas, and the Dakotas. Considering sorghum is a drought-tolerant crop, it is rather concerning that 55 percent is in poor to very poor shape in South Dakota, and above 30 percent in Colorado and Kansas. Pasture conditions are alarmingly poor heading into the fall, with Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming all at or above 60 percent rated as poor to very poor.

Temperature and Precipitation Overview

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

Precipitation

Outside of the central part of the region, precipitation was hard to come by in August. Nebraska was the big winner, with some locations receiving over 9 inches (22.86 cm) of rain. On the flip side, parts of Colorado and Wyoming were nearly bone dry, with amounts below 0.10 inches (2.54 mm).

Towards the back half of the month, there was a fairly soggy stretch in Nebraska. Over 4 inches (10.16 cm) of rain fell on the 18th in the North Loup area, while over 5 inches (12.7 cm) came down in the Stromsburg area on the 20th. For North Loup, this was their second wettest August and eighth wettest month overall, with 9.65 inches (24.51 cm). Norfolk and Hastings ranked ninth and tenth, with 5.80 and 6.60 inches (14.73 and 16.76 cm), respectively. Just about the entire state received more than an inch of rain, including the drought-stricken panhandle. Scottsbluff recorded 1.38 inches (3.51 cm) of desperately needed rain, while Sidney and Ogallala were above 2 inches (5.08 cm). For the panhandle, the highest amounts were in the Alliance area where over 4.50 inches (11.43 cm) fell this month.

Outside of Nebraska, above-normal precipitation was scattered throughout the region. In Wyoming, the eastern portions fared well this month. The areas surrounding Cheyenne received over 4 inches (10.16 cm) of rain, while the city reported 2.85 inches (7.24 cm) to rank 14th wettest. To the northwest, Casper recorded 2.01 inches (5.11 cm) to rank as the fifth wettest. Moving into South Dakota, Mount Rushmore observed 4.94 inches (12.55 cm), ranking as their wettest August on record. Nearby in downtown Rapid City, 4.16 inches (10.57 cm) fell to rank as the seventh-wettest. Towards the central part of the state, Highmore recorded the highest amount in the state with 6.20 inches (15.75 cm), which was seventh wettest. Just to the north, Eureka observed 4.77 inches (12.12 cm) to rank as the fourth-wettest. In Kansas and North Dakota, a few isolated locations reported over 6 inches (15.24 cm) of rain this month. 

 On the opposite side of things, dryness was prevalent across the region. In Kansas, Topeka recorded its fourth driest August with only 0.51 inches (12.95 mm), and Wichita ranked ninth with a meager 0.43 inches (10.92 mm). Towards the southeastern corner of the state, the numbers become extremely low. Girard was third driest with only 0.57 inches (14.48 mm), while to the west, Independence was fifth driest with only 0.29 inches (7.37 mm). The lowest amounts were in Columbus with 0.07 inches (1.78 mm) and Mound Valley with 0.04 inches (1.02 mm) this month, both ranking second-driest. To the west, no place has been drier this year than Colorado, and not much changed this month. Alamosa only recorded 0.18 inches (4.57 mm), which was one of the lowest amounts in the state and ranked as the third-driest August for the city. The worst drought conditions in 2026 have been around Aspen, with most of that area receiving less than an inch (2.54 cm). Along the Front Range, parts of Longmont, Loveland, and Windsor observed close to 0.50 inches (12.7 mm). Further north, another pocket of dryness was in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota. On the South Dakota side, Watertown had its driest August by a wide margin with only 0.20 inches (5.08 mm). Sisseton fared just as poorly, with 0.23 inches (5.84 mm) to rank as the third driest. Across the border in North Dakota, McLeod and Lisbon ranked second and third driest, respectively, after less than 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) fell. Not too far away, Fargo checked in as eighth driest after a meager 0.67 inches (17.02 mm).

Regional Precipitation

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

Temperatures

Extremely warm temperatures continued to plague the southern half of the region this month, with Colorado once again having a record month. The rest of the region was close to normal, with most places up to 4 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) above normal. This was driven by an unusually high number of days above 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), particularly in Colorado.

Colorado is once again the main focus this month, with most locations in the state ranking in the top five warmest. Alamosa leads the way, beating out 2024 for the warmest August with an average temperature of 67.5 degrees F (19.7 degrees C). To highlight how extreme the heat was this month, there were 13 days above 90 degrees F (32.2 degrees C). The previous record was six in 2020, and there had only been 17 in the entire history of the station. On the 4th, their warmest temperature ever for August was recorded, with a high of 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C). Just to the north, Buena Vista also recorded its warmest August, with an average temperature of 68.2 degrees F (20.1 degrees C). Across the Rockies, multiple stations observed their warmest August, including Vail, Steamboat Springs, and the Breckenridge area. Major locations that ranked in the top five warmest included Colorado Springs, Denver, and Grand Junction. Throughout the state, multiple locations set their record for the number of days above 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), such as Denver and Grand Junction.  

The heat from Colorado spilled over into the neighboring states, with Kansas and Wyoming both having locations in the top five warmest. In Kansas, Wichita and Dodge City ranked sixth, while Goodland and Salina were eighth. Interestingly, the primary driver for such warm temperatures overall was split based on locations. For Wichita and Dodge City in the southern half of the state, the average maximum temperatures were the third warmest on record, while the average minimum temperatures were not in the top 15. For the most part, locations north of I-70 were in the top ten warmest for minimum temperatures but not maximum temperatures. Up in Wyoming, Cheyenne tied with 1937 for fourth warmest with an average temperature of 71.1 degrees F (21.7 degrees C). Just down I-80, Laramie ranked second while Green River and Rock Springs came in at fourth. Other notables in Wyoming include some highly unusual places getting into the triple digits. Casper recorded its warmest August temperature on the 2nd, with a high of 103 degrees F (39.4 degrees C). On the same day, Lander tied its warmest August temperature, with a high of 101 degrees F (38.3 degrees C). Riverton also observed back-to-back days at or above 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), which has only happened twice in its 107-year history.

Drought Conditions

The active pattern across the central part of the High Plains led to drought improvements of up to two categories in Nebraska, Wyoming, and northeastern Colorado. Those that were bone-dry, including southeastern Kansas and North Dakota, observed a rapid escalation in drought conditions. Overall, the percentage of the region in D0 to D4 (abnormally dry to exceptional drought) slightly increased by two percent.

The rounds of heavy rainfall in the middle parts of the month led to widespread improvements in Nebraska. Extreme drought (D3) and D4 are now limited to just the panhandle, with the worst conditions to the northwest of Sidney. Most of the southeastern corner of the state was drought-free at the end of the month, with most of the severe drought (D2) or higher west of Kearney. Across the border in Wyoming, drought remains widespread; however, the intensity of conditions improved this month. D3 was reduced by over 15 percent, particularly in the eastern half of the state around Douglas and Casper. While the entire state is in some form of drought and 75 percent is in D2 or higher, this represents a step in the right direction.

Warm temperatures and next to zero rain this month led to rapid degradation in southeastern Kansas. A stretch from Winfield to Pittsburg deteriorated up to three classes of drought just this month alone. This is not surprising considering some areas received less than 0.10 inches (2.54 mm) of rain on top of 10 or more days above 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C). It was a similar story in the southeastern part of North Dakota, with the Fargo area experiencing a considerable escalation in conditions. The percentage of the state in D0 to D4 is also at the highest levels since 2023, while 46 percent of the state is in D2 or above, which is the largest since 2021. Elsewhere in the region, both improvements and degradation were observed. According to the Climate Prediction Center’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for September, drought is likely to develop in Kansas and may improve in western Colorado.

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, an El Niño Advisory is present.  For more information, visit: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

The National Weather Service’s long-range flood outlook indicates increased chances of minor flooding in Kansas and Nebraska through November. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), fire potential will be limited through December.  

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 majority of the United States except the Great Lakes. In the High Plains, warmer temperatures are favored across the entire region.

Precipitation

The precipitation outlook for the next three months indicates above-normal precipitation in the western half, indicating increased confidence in monsoon season. Above-normal precipitation is favored for Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and western Kansas.

Drought

The U.S Seasonal Drought Outlook released on August 31st indicates drought will likely improve in Colorado, western Kansas, Nebraska, and southern Wyoming.