Connecting Ag to Climate: Recent and Current Conditions
The Wyoming temperature and precipitation rankings for September and for the 2024 Water Year – Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30 – are not currently available.
The products where these data are retrieved are generated at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, N.C., which was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
The staff and data are safe. However, there is a delay in data availability while the center returns to full operation.
I hope to include a summary of the 2024 Water Year data in next month’s column.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map for Wyoming, released Sept. 17, classifies over 75 percent of the state in moderate (D1) or severe drought (D2), and the remainder of the state – nearly 25 percent – is classified as extreme (D3) or exceptional (D4) drought.
View the current USDM map at bit.ly/usdm-wy. 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 Oct. 30 through Nov. 5, issued on Oct. 22, shows a 33 to 50 percent probability of below normal temperatures for the western two-thirds of Wyoming, a 33 to 40 percent probability for above normal temperatures in the very northeastern corner of the state and near normal temperatures for the rest of Wyoming.
For the same time frame, there is a 33 to 40 percent probability for above average precipitation for the eastern two-thirds of the state and near normal precipitation for the rest of Wyoming.
The one-month forecast for November, issued on Oct. 17, indicates equal chances for below, near or above normal temperatures and 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, University of Wyoming Extension and WAFERx. She can be reached at wkelley1@uwyo.edu or 307-367-4380.
