U.S. Drought Monitor | Click here for a listing of ways to obtain past precipitation
000 AXUS73 KUNR 281513 DGTUNR 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 $$
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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