The latest update to the August climate outlook was released this week, with a forecast of cooler than average temperatures for most of South Dakota. Rainfall forecasts show no clear leaning toward wetter, drier or near normal for the next month, said Laura Edwards, SDSU Extension Climate Field Specialist.
Some unusual weather events were reported in northeast South Dakota recently, but area producers welcomed the timely rains that came with them.
South Dakota State University Extension cow/calf field specialist Warren Rusche stated in an online article that he is worried about losses to this year’s calf crop due to the weather.
The weekend blizzard, which dropped between 5 and 10 inches of snow on most of eastern South Dakota won’t have much of an impact on drought conditions in farm country says Dennis Todey, State Climatologist. UPDATE: Map of snowfall totals.
The outlook for reducing South Dakota’s nagging drought does not appear promising based on the Oct. 18 Climate Prediction Center’s long-range outlook.
Some areas of southern South Dakota moved into the extreme drought category in the past week, but some areas of northeastern South Dakota moved out of the drought categories into the “abnormally dry” category.