Rain Will be a Welcome Sight This Week for the Drought-Stricken Plains 

Posted: April 24, 2023 11:04 am

The same storm system that has been drenching the Pacific Northwest over the weekend will push across the Rocky Mountains and into the central and southern Plains to start the week, bringing much needed moisture to this dry part of the country.

Here is what you can expect in the coming days.

Drought Relief on the Way for the Plains?

The slow-moving weather maker is expected to bring up to several inches of rain to the parched Plains. This is good news for the area that has been dealing with drought conditions for months.

The energy from the storm out West will meet up with moist air filtering up from the Gulf of Mexico to produce this significant amount of rain.

The rain will pick up in intensity late Monday and continue through early Wednesday with the chance of more precipitation on tap for later in the week. A large zone encompassing southeastern Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the northern tier of Texas will be the biggest beneficiaries of this moisture.

While the persistent precipitation will bring some headaches and hazards, the rain will be a welcome sight for farmers gearing up for planting season. Most of this region is in the middle of a drought.

For instance, the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor indicates that an extensive area of the western Plains is still in the midst of an exceptional drought, the highest level of classification used by the agency.

Kansas has been exceptionally dry this winter with almost 80% of the Sunflower State under at least a designation of a moderate drought.

In addition, approximately 57% of the state is under either an extreme or exceptional drought with the worst of the conditions focused on the southern and western areas.

It was a winter without a lot of rain or snow in the Plains. Some parts of Kansas have seen only about 30% of its historical average of moisture since the beginning of the year. This trend has expanded into eastern Colorado and northern Texas.

Forecasters warn that this week’s storm will not erase all of the drought concerns. However, it could certainly help to put a dent in the drought and give farmers a leg up on watering their land.

Hazards of Rainfall

While agricultural interests will celebrate the arrival of a steady rain this week, too much precipitation could trigger flooding in low-lying areas. The storm system is also likely to produce thunderstorms packing hail and strong winds.

The major cities of Dallas and Houston will be under the gun this week for sporadic stormy conditions.

Looking toward the end of the week, forecasters are predicting even more rain for the Plains. There will not be much time to recover after the first round of moisture when another wave fires up late Wednesday and into Thursday.

Oklahoma and Texas will be the primary area of impact for this mid-week storm.

Yet another storm system may move in farther to the north to close out the week. Be sure to keep abreast of this developing situation if you live anywhere in the Plains region.

Long-Range Forecast Indicates Drier Weather Pattern Heading Into Summer

Forecasters are predicting that there will be more rain over the next several weeks. This moisture may be enough to provide meaningful relief from the drought. However, the long-range forecast does not indicate that the relief will linger into the summer months.

Cooler ocean waters circulating in the eastern portion of the Pacific Ocean combined with the massive snowpack that built up over the Intermountain West this winter will likely delay the buildup of warm air across the Southwest and the Plains this May.

This is typically the time of the year that high pressure takes over and supports drier conditions and warming temperature readings.

This high pressure is likely to be delayed a bit because of the other factors at play. Should this happen as predicted, the parade of storms across the Plains may continue through May. However, the long-range forecast also shows warmer than average temperatures once the summer gets going.

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