Recent and current conditions
Wyoming experienced its fifth warmest and 41st driest September out of 127 years according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) database, retrieved Oct. 22. Scaling to the county level, the adjacent tables show temperature and precipitation rankings of select counties for the month of September, as well as the 2021 water year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map for Wyoming, released Oct. 21, shows 100 percent of Wyoming is experiencing abnormally dry or moderate to extreme drought.
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 Nov. 3-9, made Oct. 26, shows a 33 to 50 percent probability or chance for above-averagetemperatures for all of Wyoming, with the highest probability in the western third of the state.
For the same time frame, there is a 33 to 50 percent probability for below averageprecipitation for the eastern half of the state. There is an equal chance for below, near or above-normalprecipitation for the remainder of Wyoming.
The November forecast, made Oct. 21, indicates a 33 to 50 percent probability for above-normaltemperatures throughout Wyoming. For the same time frame, there is a 33 to 50 percent probability for above normal precipitation for much of the state. The exception is the southeastern corner – extending along the southern and eastern borders – where there is an equal chance for below, near or above normalprecipitation.
To view more 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.
