Drought Conditions Across Western South Dakota and Northeastern Wyoming

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DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
1012 AM MDT Tue Mar 28 2023  

...DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA...

.SYNOPSIS:

.Drought Intensity and Extent: According to the March 21 release of
the U.S. Drought Monitor, Severe (D2) Drought is located over most
of Weston County Wyoming and across western and southern portions of
Fall River County. Moderate (D1) Drought covered the rest of Weston
and Fall River Counties as well as southeastern Campbell, far
southern Crook, northeastern Harding, northeastern Perkins, most of
Ziebach, northern and western Haakon, most of Jackson, western
Bennett, southern Pennington, Custer, Oglala Lakota, and southern
and eastern Tripp Counties. Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions covered
the rest of the area.

.Precipitation: Precipitation amounts so far in 2023 have ranged
from below normal across northwestern South Dakota to above normal
across northeastern Wyoming, the Black Hills, and south central
South Dakota. Temperatures so far in 2023 have been colder than
average.

.Hydrologic Condition: The ice is beginning to come off most of the
prairie rivers and lakes, with the ice still firmly in place across
northwestern South Dakota and over the Black Hills. The ground
remains thawed across southwestern and south central South Dakota
with up to two feet of frost in the ground over northwestern South
Dakota and portions of northeastern Wyoming.

.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS:

.Agricultural Impacts: The last weekly Crop Progress and Condition
report for the growing season was released on March 27. According to
this report, topsoil moisture supplies in South Dakota rated 4% very
short, 23% short, 69% adequate, and 4% surplus according to the
USDA`s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Subsoil moisture
supplies rated 9% very short, 34% short, 54% adequate, and 3%
surplus.

In Wyoming, topsoil moisture was 1% very short, 11% short, 85%
adequate, and 3% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 5% very
short, 25% short, 69% adequate, and 1% surplus. Pasture and range
conditions were 5% very poor, 19% poor, 20% fair, 53% good, and 3%
excellent.

.Hydrologic Impacts: Several stock ponds and dugouts remain dry or
contain water of poor quality.

.Fire Hazards: The lack of snow cover in some areas combined with
dead and dry fuels will keep fire potential higher on warm and windy
days this spring.

.DROUGHT MITIGATION ACTIONS: none

.LOCAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK: The outlook through the first part of April
is for colder than average temperatures and slightly above average
precipitation. Average high temperatures for this period are in the
lower 50s while average lows are in the upper 20s. Average
precipitation in April is between two and three inches on the plains
with three to four inches of precipitation in the Black Hills.
Overall, drought conditions are expected to improve through the
spring as we get into the wettest time of the year.

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE: This product is expected to be updated in
April or as conditions change.

&&

.RELATED WEB SITES:

Additional information on current drought conditions may be found at
the following web addresses:

U.S. Drought Monitor: https://www.droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
U.S. Drought Portal: https://drought.gov/
WY Drought Information and Resources: https://drought.wyo.gov
Climate Prediction Center (CPC): https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
High Plains Regional Climate Center: https://hprcc.unl.edu/
South Dakota Climate and Water: https://climate.sdstate.edu/
Wyoming Water Resources Data System & State Climate Office:
http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/

Additional water and river information:

NWS: https://water.weather.gov/
OWP: https://water.noaa.gov/
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): https://water.usgs.gov/
Bureau of Reclamation Great Plains Region: https://www.usbr.gov/gp/

.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAA`s
National Weather Service and National Centers for Environmental
Information, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), state and
regional climatologists, and the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Information for this statement was gathered from NWS and Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) observation sites, state cooperative
extension services, USACE and USGS.

.CONTACT INFORMATION:

Should you have any questions or comments about this drought
statement, please contact:

Melissa Smith
Service Hydrologist
melissa.smith@noaa.gov

or

Matthew Bunkers
Science and Operations Officer
matthew.bunkers@noaa.gov

National Weather Service
300 East Signal Drive
Rapid City, South Dakota 57701
605-341-9271

$$

Past Precipitation

24 Hour Estimated Precipitation	3 Day Estimated Precipitation
5 Day Estimated Precipitation	30 Day Bias-Corrected Estimated Precipitation

Precipitation Forecast

1 Day Precipitation Forecast	2 Day Precipitation Forecast
3 Day Precipitation Forecast	5 Day Precipitation Forecast
7 Day Precipitation Forecast

Precipitation Outlook

6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook	8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook
One Month Precipitation Outlook	Three Month Precipitation Outlook

Departure From Normal

7 Day Departure from Normal Temperature	14 Day Departure From Normal Temperature
30 Day Departure From Normal Temperature	60 Day Departure From Normal Temperature
Mean Temperature

Temperature Outlook

6-10 Day Temperature Outlook	8-14 Day Temperature Outlook
One Month Temperature Outlook	Three Month Temperature Outlook

Climate Prediction Center U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook

The drought monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), State and Regional Climate Centers, and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Information for this statement has been gathered from a number of different federal, state, and local agencies including the NWS and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Observing Sites, State Cooperative Extension Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and many more.

If you have any questions or comments about this drought information please contact:

Melissa Smith
Service Hydrologist
melissa.smith@noaa.gov

or

Matthew Bunkers
Science and Operations Office
matthew.bunkers@noaa.gov

National Weather Service
300 East Signal Drive
Rapid City South Dakota 57701
605-341-9271 ext. 493