1. State Climate Office Drought Update
Adnan Akyuz, Ph.D.
NDSU, AES
State Climatologist
Updated 9/27/2018

2. Countywide Precipitation Anomalies and Rankings
August 2018 (42nd Driest)
June-August 2018 (39th Wettest)
Blue/Brown colors indicate wetter/drier than long-term ( ) average.

3. Countywide Temperature Anomalies and Rankings
August 2018 (55th Warmest)
June-August 2018 (21st Warmest)
Blue/Brown colors indicate wetter/drier than long-term ( ) average.

4. 30-Day Precipitation
Total Accumulation
% of Normal
(NDAWN Images)

5. Long Term Precipitation % of Normal
60 Days
90 Days
(NDAWN Images)

6. (% Change from previous week)
Cumulative % area
(% Change from previous week) D2
16%
(--) D3
<1.3%
(+0.5%) D1
44%
(--)
None
16%
(--%) DO
84%
(--)

7. Drought Change
One-week Change
4-week Change

8. Drought Severity and Coverage Index (Statewide)
329
(Aug 8, 2006)
295
(Aug 8, 2017)
146
(+1)
Drought Severity and Coverage Index = ADO + 2AD1 + 3AD2 + 4AD3 + 5AD4 (Akyüz, 2007)
Where: A is a % of the state covered under the corresponding D-severity

9. Accumulated Drought Severity and Coverage Index (Statewide)
10,752
(+146)
9,530
10,645
19,319
9663
2116
1714
*Numbers indicate the area under the DSCI Index Curve
*Akyuz (2017)

10. Soil Moisture and Bare Soil Temperature
Soil Moisture Departure from Normal
5-week Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI)
(40mm = 1.6”)

11. Short-Range Forecast*
Thu 1am, Sep 27 -Thu 1am, Oct 4
Thu 1am, Sep 27 -Thu 1am, Oct 11
*College of DuPage Next Generation Weather Lab (Posted with permission)

12. Medium Range Forecast*
Week 3-4 Precipitation
Week 3-4 Temperature
*Climate Prediction Center

13. *Climate Prediction Center
Long-Range Forecast*
CPC Oct-Dec Precipitation Outlook
CPC Oct-Dec Temperature Outlook
*Climate Prediction Center

14. County-wide Agricultural Impacts for the week
Climate Division
Drought Impact by counties
1: North-West
Ward: Mildly Dry. Last week’s rains replenished some of the counties topsoil moisture.
2: North-Central
McHenry: Severely Dry.
3: North-East
Grand Forks: Mildly Dry
Walsh: Severely Dry. "Central and North central walsh county is still very dry they have largely missed the rains eastern Walsh has had.
Pembina: Moderately Dry
Nelson: Moderately Dry. Have heard reports of receiving no rain since Early July in areas of county, specifically South East-Central, as well as North West. Other areas are also dry but did receive inch a few weeks ago. Edibles, Soybeans and Corn have matured early. Pastures have been brown for over a month +. Rain forecasted tomorrow is welcomed.
4: West
Mercer: Moderately Dry. Rainfall this week so things improved slightly.
5: Central
Wells: Moderately Dry. Availability of water for livestock/wildlife is limited in some areas, crops maturing more quickly due to dry conditions
Eddy: Severely Dry. We are closing in on 80 days without rain. July 8th was last adequate rain. Soybean harvest going strong. Yields are disappointing. Corn harvest has started. Over a month earlier than normal. Corn chopping about wrapped up in county. Producer commented it was too dry to chop already this early in the season without having had a frost. Grasshoppers are thick in some areas of the county. Producers have commented on damage that they have done to some late season crops. Some producers have started feeding their cattle. Normally does not happen until first snowfall. Pastures are bare. Water sources have dried up. Producer are having to haul cattle home from pastures. Rain at this point will not do anything for this year’s crop but paints a sorry picture for next spring. Fall fieldwork and fall spraying is not being completed as nothing is growing in the fields. Producers worried about having enough hay for winter if they have to start feeding this early. Road ditches are brown. Lawns in the area are brown. Homeowner commented that they drained a 10,000 gallon kids’ swimming pool over a week ago and the water never made it more than 5 feet from where the pool was drained and the lawn never greened up. He fears that the lawn may be dead from being too dry this summer. Many trees are dropping leaves, some are bare. It is fall but there has not even been a frost yet. Gardens and flowers have dried up. Have heard multiple reports of holes being dug with a backhoe down to 8-10 feet and no moisture being present. Dry all the way down. WE ARE DRY. SEND RAIN!!! This is the second year in a row with well below average precipitation.
Foster: Severely Dry. Plants are mostly brown and tree leaves are turning yellow due to lack of rain. Dugouts are dry and waiting for deeper excavation to see if ground water can be reached. Cattails are being mowed or hayed since sloughs are dried. Perennial pastures are dry and brown. Harvest is 3 weeks early for fall harvested crops. Sixty to seventy years old farmers don't remember seeing it this dry. Hay field have not regrown since haying in early July. harvested crops. Sixty to seventy years old farmers don't remember seeing it this dry. Hay field have not regrown since haying in early July.

15. County-wide Agricultural Impacts for the week
Climate Division
Drought Impact by counties
7: South-West
Hettinger: Severely Dry. Crop is maturing rapidly and row crop will begin very soon. Soybean yield reports are running at bu. per acre. Pastures have virtually no regrowth. I have tested 6 samples of drought impacted small grain and corn for nitrates. All samples have been feedable.
Billings/Stark: Moderately Dry. Widespread rain greater than 1/2 occurred over most of the area.
Slope: Moderately Dry.
Golden Valley: Moderately Dry. Producers are concerned about over grazing, limited water with high sulfate and tds issues, Burn ban is in place based on fire index.
8: South-Central
9: South-East
Sargent: Normal.

16. Pictures of the Week
Picture of dried up water hole for livestock. (Tim Becker, Eddy County, NDSU Photo)
Bare pasture. Cattle being fed already (Tim Becker, Eddy County, NDSU Photo)

17. Pictures of the Week
Cows removed from this pasture around June Notice no regrowth. Some trees in background have lost leaves some time ago. (Tim Becker, Eddy County, NDSU Photo)
Another pasture that is bare. (Tim Becker, Eddy County, NDSU Photo)