Connecting AG to Climate: Recent and Current Conditions
By Windy Kelly
Wyoming experienced its 61st coldest and third wettest June out of 129 years, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) NCEI database, retrieved July 24.
Scaling to the county level, the adjacent tables include temperature and precipitation rankings of select counties for the month of July.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map for Wyoming, released July 20, classifies 0.40 percent of the state as moderate drought (D1) and over seven percent of Wyoming as abnormally dry (DO).
The remainder of the state, more than 92 percent, is classified as none. In other words, these areas are not experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions.
View the current USDM map at bit.ly/2S28VTA. Consider submitting a Condition Monitoring Observer Report at bit.ly/3c4WRLR.
Eight- to 14-day and one-month forecasts
NOAA’s eight- to 14-day forecast for Aug. 2-8, issued July 25, shows a 33 to 50 percent probability for above normal temperatures for nearly all of Wyoming. The exception is the eastern quarter of the state where near normal temperatures are forecasted.
For the same timeframe, the forecast shows a 40 to 50 percent probability for above normal precipitation for all of Wyoming.
The August forecast, issued July 20, indicates a 33 to 60 percent probability for above normal temperatures for nearly all of Wyoming. The exception is the northeast corner where there is an equal chance for above, near or below normal temperatures.
For the same timeframe, the forecast shows a 33 to 50 percent probability for below normal precipitation for the western two-thirds of the state and an equal chance for below, near or above normal precipitation for the eastern third.
For additional information and NOAA forecasts, visit cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.
Windy K. Kelley is the regional Extension program coordinator and state specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northern Plains Climate Hub, the University of Wyoming Extension and WAFERx. She can be reached at wkelley1@uwyo.edu or 307-367-4380.
