Temperature
This week featured above normal temperatures for a majority of the region. The warmest regions were northern and eastern North Dakota, central South Dakota, and northcentral Nebraska reaching temperatures 9°F to 12°F above normal with spots in South Dakota and Nebraska reaching 12°F to 15°F above normal. Temperatures reached 0°F to 3°F below normal in spots of central and eastern Kansas, western Colorado, and southern Wyoming.
This week featured above normal temperatures for most of the region. The warmest regions were southwestern North Dakota, a majority of South Dakota, northwestern Nebraska, northwestern Kansas, and parts of northeastern Colorado reaching temperatures 9°F to 12°F above normal with some areas in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska reaching 12°F to 15°F above normal. The warmest temperature was at the Lamar Municipal Airport in Colorado which reached 96°F which is 11°F above normal for the area. Temperatures reached 0°F to 3°F below normal in spots of northwest Wyoming.
Northern and eastern North Dakota, central and northern Nebraska, and parts of eastern and central South Dakota reached temperatures 9°F to 12°F above normal. Temperatures in southeastern Kansas reached 3°F to 6°F below normal with some spots reaching 6°F to 9°F below normal. The coldest temperature was 32°F in Leadville, Colorado which is normal for the area.
Precipitation
Precipitation amounts varied this week, ranging from 2% for most of Kansas, Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota, northwestern Colorado, and northeastern Wyoming to 400% in northcentral Colorado and western South Dakota. Gould, Colorado received 3.5 inches of precipitation; most of this fell on the 12th. Drought continues in the region. D0 (abnormally dry) conditions increased from 65% to 67%. In the region, Wyoming experienced the highest decrease in D0 conditions by 4% while South Dakota experienced the highest increase in D0 conditions by 19%.
Wyoming Wildfires
The wildfires in Wyoming have burned about 629,000 acres and continue to burn in some areas. One of the fires, Short Draw Fire, has burned an estimated 35,222 acres and is at 40% containment.