Contact: Natalie Umphlett (numphlett2@unl.edu) Missouri River Basin Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook | September 2017 

 www.drought.gov/drought/content/resources/reports

Quarterly Climate Impacts 

and Outlook

Missouri River Basin 

September 2017 

National - Significant Events for June - August 2017

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies Drought

Regional - Climate Overview for June - August 2017

Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)

June 1 - August 31, 2017

Departure from Normal Temperature (°F)

June 1 - August 31, 2017

Highlights for the Basin

Summer 2017 was full of extremes in the Basin. 

For example, Colorado had its 12th driest June 

followed by its 8th wettest July, while Nebraska 

had its 2nd driest June and its 12th wettest 

August. Montana’s weather was consistently 

warm and dry, with the state having its 2nd driest 

and 8th warmest summer on record (since 1895). 

Some areas of Montana received less than an 

inch of rain this summer and others went for 

long stretches without measurable rainfall. For 

instance, Helena’s last measurable rainfall of the 

summer occurred July 9th.

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska all ranked 

in the top 10 coolest Augusts on record. For 

locations like Grand Island, NE, this was the first 

time since records began that the temperature did 

not reach 90°F during the month of August. 

Although severe weather is not uncommon 

during the summer months, some storms were 

notable. On June 16th, a tornado damaged two 

E-4B Doomsday Planes at Offutt Air Force Base, 

and a series of hail storms stripped crops bare in 

central Nebraska in mid-August.

A combination of hot and dry conditions led 

to rapid drought development and expansion 

across the northern plains this summer. At the 

end of spring, moderate drought conditions 

were present only in central portions of the 

Dakotas, but by September 5th, 43% of the 

Missouri River Basin was in drought, with over 

a million people impacted. The governors of 

Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota 

all issued emergency drought declarations 

for portions of their states in response to the 

deteriorating conditions. Numerous impacts 

to a variety of sectors continue to be reported 

across the northern plains.

It was an extremely dry summer for northern 

areas of the Basin, with mixed conditions 

to the south. Aside from a few isolated 

areas, June was dry, with large swaths of the 

region receiving less than 50% of normal 

precipitation. Dry conditions lingered into 

July, especially in the north, but some areas 

of southern Colorado, central Nebraska, 

and eastern South Dakota managed to pick 

up rainfall in excess of 150% of normal. 

August was the wettest month of the season, 

especially for eastern parts; however, Montana 

continued to be dry.

Temperatures were, overall, above normal 

in the west and below normal in the east 

this summer. Although the season started off 

extremely hot and dry, July had the largest 

departures of the season, with much of the 

drought-stricken areas of central and eastern 

Montana and western parts of the Dakotas in 

the 4-8°F above normal range. August, in stark 

contrast, was on the cool side for the majority 

of the Basin, with eastern areas having 

departures of 4-6°F below normal. Although 

the cool weather helped ease drought impacts, 

this was untimely for crop development.

U.S. Drought Monitor Class Change

3 Months: June 13 - September 5, 2017

The average U.S. temperature during August was near the long-term average. The summer U.S. 

temperature was 72.7°F, or 1.3°F above average and the 15th highest on record. August U.S. 

precipitation was 3.34 inches, 0.7 inch above average, and seventh wettest. The summer precipitation 

total was 9.19 inches, the 16th wettest on record.

Please Note: Material provided in this map was compiled from NOAA’s State of the Climate Reports. 

For more information please visit: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc
Regional - Impacts for June - August 2017

Contact: Natalie Umphlett (numphlett2@unl.edu) Missouri River Basin Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook | September 2017

 www.drought.gov/drought/content/resources/reports

Regional - Outlook for October - December2017 MO River Basin Partners

:#regionalclimateoutlooks

High Plains Regional Climate Center

www.hprcc.unl.edu

Kansas State, Department of Agronomy

www.agronomy.k-state.edu

National Drought Mitigation Center

www.drought.unl.edu

National Integrated Drought Information System

www.drought.gov

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Weather Service - Central Region

www.crh.noaa.gov/crh

National Centers for Environmental Information

www.ncdc.noaa.gov

Missouri River Basin Forecast Center

www.crh.noaa.gov/mbrfc

Climate Prediction Center

www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov

North Central Climate Science Center

http://nccsc.colostate.edu

South Dakota State University Extension

http://igrow.org

American Association of State Climatologists

www.stateclimate.org

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Missouri River Basin 

Water Management Division

www.usace.army.mil

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Regional Climate Hubs

www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/regional_hubs.htm

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

www.usbr.gov

U.S. Geological Survey, Water Mission Area

www.usgs.gov/water

Western Governors’ Association

www.westgov.org

Above: (Top) Fiery sunrise in Lincoln, NE, made possible from Pacific Northwest 

fires, photo courtesy Ken Dewey; (Middle) flash flooding in Kansas City, MO, 

photo courtesy NewsChopper 9 KMBC; and (Bottom) cattle en route to pipeline 

water in Bowman County, ND, photo courtesy the Drought Impact Reporter, 

which can be accessed here: http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/.

Kansas City, MO Area Flooding

Major flash flooding impacted the Kansas City area on July 26-27 and 

August 21-22. In both instances, several hours of heavy rainfall led to 

flooding that required water rescues and extensive property damage. In 

the July event, rainfall totals of 5-7 inches caused record-setting flooding 

for the Indian and Tomahawk Creeks. According to the National Weather 

Service in Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, the newly-set river stage record at 

Indian Creek was surpassed just a few weeks later in the August flooding 

event where widespread rainfall of 4-6 inches fell. 

Wildfires Impact Montana and Beyond

Drought conditions fueled fires in Montana and the Pacific Northwest 

this summer and early fall. In the Missouri Basin, many of the fires were 

located in western Montana; however the largest fire of the season, the 

Lodgepole Complex, burned over 270,000 acres in east-central parts of the 

state. Another notable fire was the Sprague Fire, which burned the famous 

Sperry Chalet, located in Glacier National Park. Air quality alerts were 

instituted in many locations, as well as some evacuation orders. Smoke 

from these fires made for hazy skies across the Basin multiple times. More 

than 1 million acres have burned in Montana this fire season and copious 

amounts of precipitation will be needed to help contain them. 

3-Month Precipitation and 

Temperature Outlooks 

According to the Climate Prediction Center, 

ENSO-neutral conditions continued through 

the summer and into early fall. Although 

ENSO-neutral conditions are currently present, 

a La Niña Watch has been issued as there are 

increasing chances for the development of La 

Niña conditions through the late fall and into 

winter.

Over the next three months, above-normal 

precipitation is favored for parts of the upper 

Basin, while below-normal precipitation 

is favored for lower parts of the Basin. 

Meanwhile, above-normal temperatures are 

favored for the majority of the region, with 

the highest likelihood in southern areas of 

Colorado.

Valid for October - December 2017

EC: Equal chances of above, near or below normal

A: Above normal, B: Below normal

Precipitation Temperature

U.S. Seasonal Drought 

Outlook

Valid for 09/21/2017 - 12/31/2017

At the start of fall, drought conditions that 

had rapidly developed and expanded over the 

summer were still impacting a large portion of 

the northern plains. Recent rains have helped 

improve conditions in areas of the western 

Dakotas, although drought conditions remain. 

The seasonal drought outlook indicates that 

the majority of current drought conditions 

should persist through the end of the year. 

Drought conditions in western Montana and 

central Kansas, however, are likely to improve 

or be removed, while drought is likely to 

develop in areas of southern Missouri.

Numerous Impacts to Agriculture

Summer conditions led to a variety of impacts to agriculture this year. 

Drought in the northern plains took its toll on wheat, corn, and soybean 

production, as well as cattle ranches. Wheat was hit particularly hard with 

production down significantly compared to last year. Lingering wetness 

in southern areas of the Basin caused the spread of crop diseases, such 

as Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus and diplodia leaf streak. Meanwhile, a late 

season frost in June damaged corn in the Dakotas.