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• Watch the Latest Midwest and Great Plains Drought Update Webinar
• Drought Condtions in the High Plains Region-Update May 16
• May 14, 2013 Daily High Temperatures
• NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 8: Precipitation-Frequency Atlas of the United States, Midwestern States has been released
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update May 9
• Sign up for the next drought update webinar
• April 2013 Climate Summary
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update May 2
• April Temperature Rankings
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update April 25

HPRCC

• High Plains Regional Climate Meeting in Nebraska City
• Server migration to take place October 10
• New Research Associate
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region- Update August 2
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region - Update
• Drought Grips the Southern Plains
• Useful to Usable (U2U): Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers
• UNL Weather Camp 2011 a Success!
• New article in BAMS features the Regional Climate Centers
• HPRCC will be at Dinosaurs and Disasters - February 5

Region News

• Watch the Latest Midwest and Great Plains Drought Update Webinar
• Drought Condtions in the High Plains Region-Update May 16
• May 14, 2013 Daily High Temperatures
• NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 8: Precipitation-Frequency Atlas of the United States, Midwestern States has been released
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update May 9
• Sign up for the next drought update webinar
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update May 2
• April Temperature Rankings
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update April 25
• Drought Conditions in the High Plains Region-Update April 18

AWDN

• April 2013 Climate Summary
• Weekly Nebraska Soil Moisture Report - September 19, 2011
• U.S. experiences second warmest summer on record
• Weekly Nebraska Soil Moisture Report - September 12, 2011
• Weekly Nebraska Soil Moisture Report - August 29, 2011

National News

• Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment
• Climate Summary Maps Using Updated Normals
• U.S. Temperatures for April Third Warmest on Record
• March global temperatures were coolest since 1999
• U.S. records warmest March

Drought Grips the Southern Plains

Source/Author: Braedi Wickard - High Plains Regional Climate Center 08/04/11

Extreme heat associated with a strong upper level ridge crippled the Southern Plains this July causing persistent drought conditions in the region.  The latest release of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows an increase in area of exceptional drought (D4) in south central Kansas.  Other locations of persistent D4 drought conditions in the High Plains Region include southwestern Kansas and south central Colorado.  Extreme drought (D3) has also expanded into southwestern Kansas and persists in southeastern Colorado.  To learn more about the U.S. Drought Monitor, please see:  http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Along with record-setting temperatures across the region, this year’s lack of precipitation in the exceptional drought-stricken areas is comparable to that experienced in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, or worse!  Dodge City, Kan broke the record for the driest January-July on record.  The station has only received about 4 inches of precipitation since the beginning of the year (period of record 1874-2011), beating the record set in 2002 when the station recorded 5.71 inches.  Two more stations in Kansas topped the charts for the driest January-July on record and include: Elkhart (period of record 1900-2011) and Ashland (period of record 1900-2011).  

 

Station	Year-to-date Precipitation	Rank	Old Record/Year	Period of Record
Ashland, KS	3.79	1	5.82/1966	1900-2011
Cimarron, KS	5.01	4	5.90/1966	1911-2011
Dodge City, KS	3.95	1	5.71/2002	1874-2011
Elkhart, KS	3.24	1	3.36/2002	1900-2011
Greensburg, KS	6.23	4	6.42/1964	1893-2011
Liberal, KS	6.15	5	6.18/1966	1893-2011

 

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