Southern Plains Under El Niño Watch
- In Oklahoma and Texas, drought peaked in early May. Only a few small areas in the Texas Panhandle and northeast Oklahoma still show Abnormally Dry Conditions.
- Major concerns continue for streamflows and reservoir levels in New Mexico. Another snow drought could cause devastating impacts to the state.
- There is a 70% to 75% chance that El Niño will develop and persist through the winter; however, it is expected to be weak.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June – August 2018. Dated September 2018.
Summer temperatures were near normal across the Inland Northwest and above normal elsewhere in the region, especially in the Southwest. Monsoon precipitation was variable throughout the season, though many Southwest locations ended up with near to slightly above normal precipitation.
Two-page summary of the July 25, 2018 webinar on current Southwest U.S. drought conditions, impacts, and outlook and wildfires.
Drought Easing but Extreme Drought Lingers in Southern Plains. Robust Monsoon Anticipated.
- Drought peaked in May in northwest Oklahoma and the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.
Exceptional Drought Continues in Southwest. Wet Monsoon Slightly Favored.
- The region is still mired in severe to exceptional drought due to record-high temperatures and record-low precipitation in the winter and spring
- Impacts include vegetation stress, extremely low streamflow, major wildfires, increased flood risks, and national forest closures
- Outlook favors wetter-than-normal monsoon precipitation setting in around 6-9 July
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March – May 2018. Dated June 2018.
Spring precipitation was above normal in a broad swath from central California northeast into Montana. Well below normal precipitation across much of the Four Corners states; Arizona and New Mexico had their 10th driest spring.
Below is a summary of the 23 May webinar led by Brian Fuchs, Climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, and Ed Delgado, National Program Manager, Predictive Services, National Interagency Fire Center. The webinar explained drought conditions and outlook, as well as drought and wildfire in the region.
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.