Agricultural News
Latest Drought Monitor Report Shows Little Drought Improvement from Last Week's Rain
Thu, 07 Oct 2021 15:12:49 CDT
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report, various regions of the country were impacted by storm systems as the transition into autumn continues. A slow-moving cold front brought relief to many dry areas of the Plains.
In the southern Plains, the dry spell was finally broken by rains late last week. Unfortunately, the temporality of the fall storms offered little relief to the region, as abnormally dry conditions or worse persisted or expanded for the most part.
Significant rains fell over portions of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. At the same time, temperatures were generally three to six degrees higher than normal in most of the High Plains. In the Dakotas, temperatures were up to 12 degrees higher than normal. In areas of the High Plains that have been in a long-term drought, livestock producers will continue to face challenges with poor pasture and range conditions, while hay stockpiles continue to decline. Although good rains visited many areas of the High Plains, abnormally dry conditions or worse expanded in areas that did not receive precipitation.
Areas in the West set new records for the driest years ever recorded, particularly in cities in the northern half of California. Overall, the region remained dry and warmer than usual. According to the report, rains in the Pacific Northwest and into the Four Corners regions were the only areas with above-normal precipitation for the week. Drought conditions worsened in southern Colorado, western and southern Montana and northern Wyoming. Drought conditions improved in northwest Colorado, northern Idaho, western and central New Mexico, eastern Utah and northeast Washington.
To view the Contiguous U.S. Drought Map, click here.
Looking ahead, the probability that the northern Plains will get higher-than-normal levels of precipitation is between 60% and 80%. Overall, a likelihood of higher-than-normal levels of precipitation fan out from the Dakotas, west to the northwest and downward across Utah and Colorado until spreading over much of Texas and east, to Tennessee and its neighbors.
To view the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook, click here.
Below-normal temperatures are predicted in much of the West, with the lowest temperatures expected in the Great Basin area of the region. On the other hand, warm temperatures are predicted to dominate the eastern half of the country. The dividing line between cool and warm weather is predicted to stay west of Texas, Oklahoma and most of Kansas, going up the middle of Nebraska and the Dakotas.
To view the 6-to-10-day temperature outlook, click here.
Now that fall has arrived and rain in on the horizon, drought removal or improvement is forecasted for much of the central and southern Plains. Unfortunately, for much of the West and northern Plains, drought is expected to persist.
To view the Monthly Drought Outlook map, click here.
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, the dry spell was finally broken by hard rains in much of the state at the end of last week. The rain was not enough to relieve most of the state's abnormally dry conditions or worse. Since last week's U.S. Drought Monitor report, abnormally dry conditions in Oklahoma decreased by nearly one point, moderate drought conditions decreased by nearly four points, severe drought conditions decreased by just a half of a point. In the northwestern part of the state, extreme drought conditions increased slightly from last week.
The good news is more rain is predicted in Oklahoma in the next six to ten days. The likelihood of higher-than-normal amounts of rain is between 50% and 60% in most of the state. In western Oklahoma, the likelihood of higher-than-normal amounts of rain goes from 50% to 0% near the New Mexican border of the Panhandle. In most of the state, excluding the western part of the Panhandle, temperatures are expected to be higher than normal for this time of year.
To view the Oklahoma drought map, click here.
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