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AXUS75 KRIW 142117
DGTRIW
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
311 PM MDT THU OCT 14 2021
..AREAS OF EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST ACROSS WYOMING
.SYNOPSIS:
.DROUGHT INTENSITY AND EXTENT:
THE LATEST DROUGHT CONDITIONS AS REPORTED BY THE U.S. DROUGHT
MONITOR, WHICH WAS UPDATED ON OCTOBER 14TH, NOTED THAT DROUGHT
CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO COVER 100 PERCENT OF WYOMING OVER THE LAST
MONTH. EXTREME (D3) DROUGHT CONDITIONS DOMINATED JOHNSON,
NORTHEASTERN NATRONA, BIG HORN, NORTHEAST WASHAKIE, MOST OF PARK,
NORTHEASTERN TETON, AND SOUTHERN SWEETWATER COUNTIES.
SEVERE (D2) DROUGHT CONDITIONS REMAINED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL
NATRONA, NORTHEASTERN WASHAKIE, HOT SPRINGS, EXTREME SOUTHERN PARK,
TETON, SUBLETTE, LINCOLN, AND WESTERN AND NORTHERN SWEETWATER
COUNTIES. MODERATE (D1) DROUGHT CONDITIONS STOOD FAST ACROSS
FREMONT, NORTHEASTERN SWEETWATER, AND WESTERN AND SOUTHERN NATRONA
COUNTIES.
.TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION:
SINCE MID-SEPTEMBER THREE WIDELY TIMED COLD FRONTS HAVE MOVED ACROSS
WYOMING. THOUGH THESE FRONTS HAVE BROUGHT SHORT PERIODS OF COOLER
CONDITIONS, THE OVERALL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE HSA WAS 1 TO 3
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE PERIOD, EXCEPT FOR THE CENTRAL AREAS OF
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK WHERE THE COOLEST TEMPERATURES WERE
OBSERVED TO BE NEAR NORMAL TO ABOUT 2 DEGREES COOLER. THE WARMEST
AREA WAS OBSERVED ACROSS SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY WITH AVERAGES
AROUND 6 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL.
ONCE AGAIN, ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS REMAINED ACROSS NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL WYOMING DURING THE PAST MONTH WITH MOST AREAS REPORTING
LESS THAN 70 PERCENT OF NORMAL RAINFALL. MOISTURE RETURNED TO THE
SOUTHWEST WITH THE WETTEST AREAS AROUND SOUTHERN LINCOLN AND
NORTHWEST SWEETWATER COUNTIES REPORTING 150 TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL
PRECIPITATION. THE DRIEST AREAS WERE OBSERVED ACROSS NORTHWEST
FREMONT, WESTERN HOT SPRINGS AND EASTERN BIG HORN COUNTIES WHERE
LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL RAINFALL WAS RECORDED.
. HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS:
COOLER TEMPERATURES AND INCREASED PRECIPITATION DURING THE SECOND
WEEK OF OCTOBER ASSISTED IN IMPROVING THE STREAM FLOWS ACROSS THE
GREEN AND WIND RIVER BASINS AS REPORTED BY THE CURRENT U.S.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATERWATCH REPORT. OTHERWISE, BELOW NORMAL STREAM
FLOWS WERE RECORDED ACROSS THE REST OF THE RIVER BASINS ACROSS
WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING OVER THE PAST MONTH AS DRY AND WARM
CONDITIONS PREVAILED OVER THE LAST FOUR WEEKS..
RESERVOIR LEVELS ACROSS THE REGION CONTINUED TO DROP DUE TO THE LACK
OF PRECIPITATION AND THE CONTINUED HIGH DEMAND FOR AGRICULTURE
IRRIGATION ACROSS THE REGION. RESERVOIRS ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
WYOMING RANGED FROM 85 PERCENT FULL AT BOYSEN TO 15 PERCENT AT
JACKSON LAKE, WITH SITES ACROSS THE SOUTH AVERAGING 92 PERCENT FULL
AT ALCOVA TO 0 PERCENT AT BIG SANDY.
.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS:
AGRICULTURE IMPACTS
EVEN WITH A COUPLE OF COLD FRONTS MOVING ACROSS THE REGION,
UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS STILL PERSISTED
DURING LATE SEPTEMBER AND THE EARLY OCTOBER. THOUGH THESE ONGOING
DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN DETRIMENTAL TO THE REGIONAL CROPS OVER
THE PAST SUMMER, IT HAS ASSISTED IN THE HARVESTING OF THE CROPS,
ESPECIALLY THE SUGAR BEETS, WINTER WHEAT AND LATE SEASON ALFALFA HAY
CROPS.
THE OCTOBER 10TH, 2021 USDA WYOMING CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION
REPORTSHOWED SLIGHT IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS AS 80
PERCENT OF TOPSOIL MOISTURE ACROSS THE STATE WAS REPORTED AT THE
SHORT TO VERY SHORT LEVELS, COMPARED TO 87 PERCENT THIS TIME LAST
YEAR AND THE 5 YEAR AVERAGE OF 52 PERCENT. SUBSOIL MOISTURE REPORTS
ALSO INDICATED SOME IMPROVEMENT OF CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION AS
80 PERCENT WERE REPORTED AS BEING VERY SHORT TO SHORT ON MOISTURE,
COMPARED TO 81 PERCENT A YEAR AGO AND A 5 YEAR AVERAGE OF 57 PERCENT.
PASTURE AND RANGELAND CONDITIONS HAVE ALSO SHOWED A SLIGHT
IMPROVEMENT OVER THE PAST MONTH AS AREAS ACROSS THE STATE HAVE BEEN
RATED AT 62 PERCENT VERY POOR TO POOR, COMPARED TO 70 PERCENT THIS
TIME LAST YEAR AND A 5 YEAR AVERAGE OF 32 PERCENT.
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS
DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS DURING THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF
SEPTEMBER TURNED OVER TO A COOLER AND SLIGHTLY WETTER THAN NORMAL
PATTERN BY THE SECOND WEEK OF OCTOBER WHICH PROVIDED MODERATE RELIEF
TO THE FIRE DANGER ACROSS WYOMING. THE LATEST NATIONAL INTERAGENCY
FIRE CENTER (NIFC) OBSERVED FIRE DANGER RATINGS SHOWED GENERAL
IMPROVEMENT WITH LOW FIRE DANGER RATED ACROSS WYOMING.
.DROUGHT MITIGATION ACTIONS:
THE CONTINUED LACK OF GROUND SOAKING PRECIPITATION WITH ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES, DRASTICALLY LOW SOIL MOISTURE, AND REDUCED LOCALLY
STORED WATER SUPPLIES HAVE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED THE AGRICULTURE
ACTIVITIES ACROSS WYOMING THIS GROWING SEASON. RECENTLY THE GOVERNOR
OF WYOMING HAS SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ALLOW MOTOR CARRIERS
HAULING HAY TO OPERATE OUTSIDE REGULAR OPERATING HOURS AND TO CARRY
LARGER LOADS TO ASSIST IN MOVING HAY TO DROUGHT AFFECTED AREAS
WITHIN THE STATE TO TO OTHER STATES THAT HAVE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY
FOR LIVESTOCK FEED.
THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME RELIEF OVER THE PAST WEEK WITH COOLER AND
WETTER WEATHER CONDITIONS, IT WAS TOO LITTLE AND TOO LATE TO ASSIST
IN OVERALL RANGE CONDITIONS THIS FALL. THE USDA AND THE WYOMING
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HAVE REPORTED THAT MANY RANCHERS ACROSS
THE STATE HAVE REPORTED VERY POOR TO POOR RANGE CONDITIONS. THERE
WERE ALSO A NUMBER OF REPORTS OF HAY SHORTAGES AND VERY HIGH PRICES
FOR LIVESTOCK FEED. STOCK WATER SUPPLIES HAVE SEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT
ACROSS THE STATE AND WERE REPORTED AS 58 PERCENT VERY SHORT TO SHORT
THIS WEEK, COMPARED TO 83 PERCENT LAST MONTH.
.LOCAL PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK:
THE LATEST CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S (CPC) OUTLOOK THAT WAS
UPDATED FOR THE REST OF OCTOBER NOW LEANS TOWARDS A BETTER THAN
AVERAGE CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS WYOMING, ALONG
WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN AVERAGE CHANCE OF NEAR NORMAL
PRECIPITATION, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. THE CPC SEASONAL
OUTLOOKS FOR THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER THROUGH JANUARY 2022 INDICATED A
SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN AVERAGE CHANCE OF WARMER TEMPERATURES,
ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING, WITH A SLIGHTLY
BETTER THAN AVERAGE CHANCE OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION, AND SLIGHTLY
WETTER ACROSS THE NORTHWEST.
THE LATEST U.S. MONTHLY DROUGHT OUTLOOK FOR THE REST OF OCTOBER
INDICATES THAT WIDESPREAD DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS
MUCH OF WYOMING, WHILE THE RECENTLY UPDATED U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT
OUTLOOK FOR THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER KEEPS UP THE
TENDENCY FOR CONTINUING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE STATE.
.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE:
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED BY MID-NOVEMBER OR SOONER IF NECESSARY,
IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS.
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