Connecting Ag to Climate: Recent and Current Conditions
Wyoming experienced its fourth warmest and 14th driest December out of 129 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information database, retrieved Jan. 22.
Scaling to the county level, the adjacent tables include temperature and precipitation rankings of select counties for the month of December.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map for Wyoming, released Jan. 18, classifies over 45.75 percent of Wyoming as being abnormally dry (D0) or experiencing severe drought (D2).
The remainder of the state, nearly 54.25 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/usdm-wy, and consider submitting a Condition Monitoring Observer Report at bit.ly/condtionreports.
Eight- to 14-day and one-month forecasts
NOAA’s eight- to 14-day forecast for Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, issued Jan. 23, shows a 40 to 70 percent probability of above normal temperatures throughout Wyoming, with the probability decreasing from east to west.
For the same timeframe, there is a 40 to 60 percent probability for above average precipitation for all of Wyoming, with the highest probability in the southern quarter to one-third of the state.
The one-month forecast for February, issued Jan. 18, indicates a 33 to 50 percent probability for above normal temperatures for all of Wyoming, with the highest probability in the northern half of the state.
For the same timeframe, the forecast shows an equal chance for below, near or above normal precipitation for all of Wyoming.
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.
