Drought for the west

[TOGIE]

This has been one of the wettest springs here on the colorado front range in my life time.

Front range cities average around 14” of precipitation a year and the entire front range corridor is basking in 8-10” of rain since May 1 and handful of places have hit 12-13”. And again, that’s only rain.

And we’ve hardly broken 80 degrees yet down here on the lower elevations. Snowpack is having a very nice slow melt so far. Reservoirs chock full, rivers are brimming.

Also, my truck is totaled from hail in early may and the roof has to be replaced. Crazy spring we’re having.

 

[marksjeep]

One barely 90 degree day so far in gj. Mid June. Loving it!

 

[brymoore]

I covered my garden in row covers for the possibility of frost Monday/Tuesday.

38 degrees Thursday morning

 

[cedahm]

This has been one of the wettest springs here on the colorado front range in my life time.

Front range cities average around 14” of precipitation a year and the entire front range corridor is basking in 8-10” of rain since May 1 and handful of places have hit 12-13”. And again, that’s only rain.

And we’ve hardly broken 80 degrees yet down here on the lower elevations. Snowpack is having a very nice slow melt so far. Reservoirs chock full, rivers are brimming.

Also, my truck is totaled from hail in early may and the roof has to be replaced. Crazy spring we’re having.

It’s unreal. I’ve been here for 27 years and I can’t ever recall a 3 week stretch like this one. My grass is growing 1” a day. They say it’s the extreme La Niña pattern, but it’s getting a little frustrating.

we have had the local roofing guy on speed dial for years (we are one of the last remaining cedar shake roofs), which is horrible for insurance premiums, so we call them every time it hails for more than a few minutes in hopes they’ll find enough damage for insurance to replace it. He’s been here 3 times the last 10 days. Roof remains solid.

my sons baseball tournaments have been a complete roller coaster of cancellations and reschedules. E.g. all of our games this weekend (originally in Thornton, Columbine and Aurora) have been cancelled. Just found out 5m ago that we “catch up“ with a triple header tomorrow in Greeley (1.5h from home).

If it ever stops, river floating season is going to last a lot longer though. And the elk feed is unbelievable.

 

[SAJ-99]

They say it’s the extreme La Niña pattern, but it’s getting a little frustrating.

They (as in weather professionals) say El Niño has begun.

 

[JEL]

Cows are content in knee high grass. Last summer they were never content in brown dirt. Pretty dang good. Amazing how this country recovers

 

[hank4elk]

Wettest spring in 14 years here.
Now 2 weeks of the usual dry winds in June. Overcast today with virga forecast.
Pinion trees full of pollen cones and seed cones forming. Maybe some nuts this year.
Saw 4 cows with spotty bodies yesterday. Fat calves means healthy calves.

 

[Valley1320]

What it's looking like over here. Some areas got at least 8inches of rain. We had about 5ish right at town.

 

[WyoDoug]

I doubt if drought this year will have a ton of effect on hunting that prior years drought didn't already do. What I feel is going to happen is speedgoats is gonna have happy munchin and be nice and fat come hunting time.

 

[seeth07]

I can't remember the last time I looked at the drought monitor and have seen the western states looking this good. Hardly anything of concern west of the great plains. A few pockets of drought in the PNW. The upper Midwest however is not good. The drought here in central Wisconsin is getting pretty serious. Local food crops (peas, sweet corn, green beans) are the worst I've ever seen them and I'm hearing of horrible yields. Some field corn and soybeans are in rough shape and may not make it. Basically anyone that planted in late May/Early June in lieu of early May since there was a lot of rain in early May. Marshes are drying up fast and its going to be a rough fall waterfowl hunting if we don't get some rain and get it quick.

 

[Oak]

I can't remember the last time I looked at the drought monitor and have seen the western states looking this good. Hardly anything of concern west of the great plains. A few pockets of drought in the PNW. The upper Midwest however is not good. The drought here in central Wisconsin is getting pretty serious. Local food crops (peas, sweet corn, green beans) are the worst I've ever seen them and I'm hearing of horrible yields. Some field corn and soybeans are in rough shape and may not make it. Basically anyone that planted in late May/Early June in lieu of early May since there was a lot of rain in early May. Marshes are drying up fast and its going to be a rough fall waterfowl hunting if we don't get some rain and get it quick.

View attachment 284407

Colorado is drought-free for the first time since July 16, 2019. I wouldn't expect it to last long. I've had 0.24" of rain at my house since April 15.

 

[WyoDoug]

Colorado is drought-free for the first time since July 16, 2019. I wouldn't expect it to last long. I've had 0.24" of rain at my house since April 15.

View attachment 284441

I would be happy to give you some of our rain. In Cheyenne, we have had rain almost every day and experienced a lot of heavy downpours along with hail. We are well out of drought status at our neck of the woods.

 

[Irrelevant]

Some kinda cool maps.

National Current Conditions

While the Northeast floods and the southern U.S. swelters, drought is in a bit of a holding pattern, mostly centered in the Great Plains and Midwest. As of July 11, 2023, 22.48% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 26.87% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

www.drought.gov

Also there's this, but it doesn't sound like it's come to fruition.

 

[FI460]

Aaaand we're off.

| InciWeb

Incidents Page of for the Inciweb site.

inciweb.nwcg.gov

15k acres since Saturday. Burning into the 2018 Klondike Fire scar and approaching the Kalmiopsis wilderness now.

 

[Chama Grande]

Farmers Almanac just nailing it once again

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Farmers Almanac just nailing it once again

View attachment 286705

Not enough moisture to call south Dakota broiling wet.

Also besides the last two weeks we've had a very mild summer imo.

I'd say swing and a miss for sd

 

[Chama Grande]

Not enough moisture to call south Dakota broiling wet.

Also besides the last two weeks we've had a very mild summer imo.

I'd say swing and a miss for sd

I should lead with the fact that I'm entirely kidding lol. Me in NM has yet to see a thunderstorm, I think I'm at 0.3" since April. My wifes family in Vermont has been on flood watch so I'd call it anything but 'scorching dry'. And i think the entire Midwest was struggling with precip so hard that it's going to impact commodities prices, right? Classic Farmer's Almanac L in my opinion.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I should lead with the fact that I'm entirely kidding lol. Me in NM has yet to see a thunderstorm, I think I'm at 0.3" since April. My wifes family in Vermont has been on flood watch so I'd call it anything but 'scorching dry'. And i think the entire Midwest was struggling with precip so hard that it's going to impact commodities prices, right? Classic Farmer's Almanac L in my opinion.

Hahaha! That makes more sense now...

Sizzling was accurate for Arizona tho

 

[Chama Grande]

Hahaha! That makes more sense now...

Sizzling was accurate for Arizona tho

Sizzling for AZ is just a fact of life

 

[Scott85]

Pretty crazy for the end of August.