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

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

Quarterly Climate Impacts 

and Outlook

Missouri River Basin 

June 2017 

National - Significant Events for March - May 2017

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies Snowpack and Streamflow

Regional - Climate Overview for March - May 2017

Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)

March 1 - May 31, 2017

Departure from Normal Temperature (°F)

March 2017

Highlights for the Basin

Overall, it was a warm spring with each state in 

the above to much above average range. Colorado 

and Wyoming were ranked highest in the region 

as the 8th warmest on record. Spring precipitation 

was varied with Missouri and Kansas ranking as 

the top 4th and 5th wettest, respectively, and 

North Dakota ranking as the 9th driest.

On May 8, severe thunderstorms with very large 

hail impacted the Denver, CO area. The hail struck 

during rush hour, causing damage to over 100,000 

vehicles, in addition to homes and businesses. 

According to early estimates, this storm may have 

broken the record as the state’s costliest at $1.4 

billion in damage.

A mid-May snowstorm impacted Colorado, 

bringing 2-3 feet of snow to the mountains from 

the 18th-20th. The heavy snow impeded travel 

as all roads on the east side of Rocky Mountain 

National Park were closed. This was one of the 

snowiest Mays on record in the Estes Park area.

On the May 23rd release of the U.S. Drought 

Monitor, only 4.52% of the nation was depicted in 

drought - the smallest area in drought since 2000, 

when the U.S. Drought Monitor began.

Rocky Mountain snowpack, particularly in 

parts of Montana and Wyoming, was above 

average this spring. For the Missouri River 

Basin, snowpack typically peaks in mid-April; 

however, several late-season snows shifted 

the peak about two weeks later than average, 

according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

For the month of May, streamflows for many 

tributaries of the Missouri River in Montana 

and Wyoming were much above normal 

to high. As temperatures warm, minor to 

moderate flooding is expected, especially in 

and around the Wind River Indian Reservation.

There was a large contrast in precipitation 

across the region this spring, with dry 

conditions in areas of Montana and the 

Dakotas, and excessive precipitation across 

areas of central Wyoming, eastern Colorado, 

western Kansas, and southern Missouri. 

Heavy precipitation eliminated drought in 

Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri, while drought 

conditions returned to portions of the Dakotas. 

The extremes on both sides of the spectrum 

caused several locations to rank in either the 

top 10 wettest or driest springs on record. 

Temperatures were, overall, on the warm 

side this spring, with most locations ending 

the season about 2°F above normal. March 

had the largest departures of the season, with 

much of the west and south in the 4-8°F above 

normal range. April and May were largely 

near normal, with much of the region having 

slightly above-normal temperatures in April 

and slightly below-normal temperatures in 

May. Despite near-normal temperatures these 

two months, some locations ranked in the 

top 10 warmest springs on record due to the 

extremely warm month of March.

Missouri Basin Mountain Snowpack

as of 05/01/2017

The average U.S. temperature during May was 60.6°F, 0.4°F above average. The spring U.S. 

temperature was 53.5°F, 2.6°F above average, and the eighth highest on record. May U.S. precipitation 

was 3.31 inches, 0.40 inch above average. The spring precipitation total was 9.39 inches, 1.45 inches 

above average, and the 11th 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 March - May 2017

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

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

Regional - Outlook for July - September 2017 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) Flooding along the Gasconade River near Mount Sterling, MO, photo 

courtesy James Helmering ; (Middle) thousands of cattle perished in eastern 

Colorado in a late-April blizzard, photo courtesy 9News Denver; and (Bottom) 

yellow corn is common in cool and wet springs, however this should not impact 

yields, photo courtesy Troy Ingram, UNL CropWatch.

Spring Conditions Impact Agriculture

The combination of cool and wet conditions this spring has impacted 

producers across parts of Kansas and Nebraska. Disease issues in wheat 

have emerged including wheat stripe rust and wheat streak mosaic 

virus. There were also concerns that wet conditions may cause root rot 

and disease in corn. To the east, many producers have requested seed 

to replant their corn fields due to the excessive wetness. According to 

a report by DTN, corn replant this year is nearing historic highs. Late 

planting and replanting could lead to freeze concerns in the fall.

A late April/early May blizzard brought over a foot of snow to portions 

of eastern Colorado and western Kansas. Snow blanketed an already 

stressed wheat crop, while thousands of cattle perished in fields. Baca 

County, Colorado was hit particularly hard with over 10,000 cattle 

deaths reported. Wheat futures soared as damage estimates were 

released. At the end of May, 25% of the winter wheat crop in Kansas 

was rated poor to very poor.

Historic Flooding in Missouri

A potent storm system at the end of April brought heavy rainfall to a 

large area stretching from northeastern Oklahoma/southeastern Kansas 

through northern Arkansas, the majority of Missouri, and into southern 

portions of Illinois and Indiana. Rainfall totals of 4-8 inches were 

widespread, with isolated locations receiving up to 12 inches over just 

a two-day period. This resulted in major to historic flooding along many 

rivers, including tributaries of the Missouri River, such as the Gasconade 

River. Impacts from this event were numerous and included road 

closures, damage to infrastructure, flooded fields, and even fatalities. 

At one point, according to the Missouri Department of Roads, over 300 

roads were closed due to flooding in Missouri alone.

3-Month Precipitation and 

Temperature Outlooks 

According to the Climate Prediction Center, 

ENSO-neutral conditions are currently present 

and are favored to continue through the 

summer and fall.

Over the next three months, above-normal 

precipitation is favored for northern areas 

of the Basin. The highest likelihood for 

above-normal precipitation includes an area 

encompassing eastern Montana, western 

North Dakota, and northwestern South 

Dakota - an area where drought has recently 

developed. Meanwhile, above-normal 

temperatures are favored for the majority 

of the region, with the highest likelihood in 

southwestern Colorado and the bootheel of 

Missouri.

Valid for July - September 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 06/15/2017 - 09/30/2017

Drought conditions rapidly developed at 

the beginning of summer for portions of the 

Dakotas and eastern Montana, with numerous 

impacts to agriculture already reported. May 

and June precipitation is particularly important 

for this area, not only for agriculture, but 

also for other sectors, such as recreation 

and tourism. Although recent rains have 

brought temporary relief, conditions should 

be monitored closely in the near-term. The 

seasonal drought outlook indicates that 

drought conditions across this area should 

improve through early fall.