Catching up

The snow has finally arrived, but has that impacted drought conditions in Crook County? A slow start to the season may see things begin to turn around.

Like most of the region, this county is still expected to remain in drought for the foreseeable future.

According to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), much of the county had less than 50% of its average snow water equivalent until the end of last year. This warm, dry start to the water year, which begins on October 1, led to early snow drought conditions.

Snowpack accumulation got off to a slow start throughout Wyoming, with many locations reporting less than 60% of normal snow water equivalent and nine snow telemetry stations reporting record lows.

However, the Cole Canyon station has seen huge changes to those percentages since the end of the year. Snow water equivalent was at a low of 73% of normal on December 28 and 29, but soon began to climb.

After reaching 100% on January 9, it continued to climb. By January 23, the day after a significant snowfall, it was at 142%.

The most recent figures from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that Crook County has now climbed out of extreme drought status and 80% of its area is now in severe drought, with a pocket of moderate drought around Sundance.

While conditions have improved, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center predicts that drought will persist until at least the end of April. The center currently predicts equal chances of above or below normal precipitation and temperature.