Below is a summary of the 21 May webinar, led by New Mexico State Climatologist Dave DuBois, on drought conditions, outlook, and impacts in the Southern Plains.

Drought Status

The 15 May U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) introduced D4 “Exceptional Drought” in all Southern Plains states, indicating that the current drought is comparable to the worst 1-2 droughts in the past 100 years.
 

Two-page summary of the April 23, 2018 webinar on current Southern Plains drought conditions, impacts, and outlook and wildfires. The information was provided by Brian Fuchs, Climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, and Todd Lindley, National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma.

Due to the severity of drought conditions across the southern high plains, a collaboration of drought and climate experts will provide the latest information on current conditions, impacts and outlooks. In this March 16 webinar, John Nielsen-Gammon (Texas State Climatologist) will present information for the southern high plains, which includes portions of Kansas, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin December 2017 – February 2018. Dated March 2018. 

A mix of conditions led to extremes this winter. Montana had its 11th wettest winter, while Kansas and Colorado had their 10th and 14th driest, respectively. Colorado also had its 10th warmest winter. Winter ended on a wet note in both upper and lower parts of the Basin. Missouri had its wettest February on record, while Montana had its 4th.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2017 – February 2018. Dated March 2018. 

Temperatures were well above normal in the Southwest: Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada all had top-10 warmest December-February on record.  Dry conditions dominated the Southwest as well: California, Nevada, and Utah had bottom-10 driest December-February on record.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September – November 2017. Dated December 2017.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin September – November 2017. Dated December 2017.   

Fall temperatures were above average for the majority of the Basin; however, the season ended quite warm, with many western states ranking in the top 10 warmest Novembers on record. This included Colorado (record warmest) and Wyoming (8th warmest). Precipitation, on the other hand, varied widely throughout the fall. This resulted in no top 10 rankings for wettest or driest fall.

Defines La Niña; gives outlook for winter temperatures and precipitation; possible effects of La Niña on the Missouri Basin, including agriculture, the economy, and the river itself. 

NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program created these Outlooks to inform the public about recent impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the Drought Portal at https://www.drought.gov/drought/resources/reports.