Connecting Ag to Climate: Recent and Current Conditions
By Windy Kelley
Wyoming experienced its 41st coldest and 49th driest October out of 126 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) database, retrieved Nov. 23.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map for Wyoming from Nov. 19 shows nearly 96 percent of Wyoming is experiencing abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions. Compared to Oct. 15, this is a slight decrease in area, nearly one percent, of the state experiencing these conditions.
With this said, a portion of southern Carbon County is classified as exceptional drought, which is an increase in severity of conditions. The current USDM map can be viewed at bit.ly/2S28VTA.
Eight to 14 day and one month forecasts
NOAA’s eight to 14 day forecast for Dec. 1-7, made Nov. 23, is leaning toward above-normal temperatures for all of Wyoming with a 40 to 50 percent probability or chance. For the same timeframe, there is a 40 to 50 percent probability of below-normal precipitation for all of Wyoming.
The December forecast for Wyoming, made Nov. 19, indicates a 33 percent probability of above-normal temperatures for the southern half of Wyoming. There is an equal chance of below, near or above normal temperatures for the remainder of the state.
For the same timeframe, there is a 33 percent probability of below-normal precipitation for the most southeastern corner of Wyoming and a 33 percent probability of above-normal precipitation for the most northwestern corner of the state. There is an equal chance of below, near or above normal precipitation for the rest of the state.
To view more NOAA forecasts, visit cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.
Windy Kelley is the regional Extension program coordinator and state specialist for the USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub, University of Wyoming Extension and WAFERx. She can be reached at wkelley1@uwyo.edu or 307-367-4325.
