Contact: Natalie Umphlett (numphlett2@unl.edu) Missouri River Basin Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook| June 2016 

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

Quarterly Climate Impacts 

and Outlook

Missouri River Basin 

June 2016 

National - Significant Events for March - May 2016

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies Snowpack and Streamflow

Regional - Climate Overview for March - May 2016

Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)

March 1 - May 31, 2016

Departure from Normal Temperature (°F)

March 1 - May 31, 2016

Highlights for the Basin

It was a warm spring for the Basin with most 

states ranking in the top 20 warmest on record. 

Upper portions of the Basin ranked in the top 10, 

including Montana and North Dakota (6th), as well 

as South Dakota (9th).

Notable snowstorms occurred in both March 

and April. Colorado, Nebraska, and South 

Dakota were impacted on March 23-24 when 

blizzard conditions shut down the Denver 

International Airport, as well as parts of I-70 and 

I-80. Meanwhile, April snowstorms increased 

the snowpack and extended the ski season in 

Colorado.

May 5th was a record-setting day for parts of 

North Dakota where temperatures soared into the 

90°Fs. Minot, ND had a high temperature of 95°F 

that day, which was its earliest 95°F day on record.

It was an extremely wet spring in southwestern 

Wyoming as each month of the season was above 

normal and flash flooding was an issue several 

times. Lander, WY had its wettest spring on record 

with 14.23 inches of liquid precipitation, which 

was 9.00 inches above normal.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Missouri River Basin mountain 

snowpack peaked in early April, about two 

weeks earlier than normal. The snow water 

equivalent peaked at 95% of average above 

Fort Peck Reservoir and 89% of average 

between Fort Peck and Garrison Reservoirs. 

Streamflows at the end of the season were 

high across lower portions of the Basin 

including Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa as well 

as southeastern Wyoming. High flows were 

due to snowmelt and/or convective activity.

The Missouri River Basin states were quite 

wet this spring as large swaths of the region 

received above-normal precipitation. April was 

particularly wet, with Kansas, Nebraska, and 

the Dakotas all ranking in the top 10 wettest 

on record. Additionally, Nebraska had its 5th 

wettest spring. Not all areas of the Basin were 

wet, however. Drier locations included an area 

of western South Dakota along with portions 

of eastern Wyoming and Montana; eastern 

South Dakota into Minnesota; and a large 

portion of central Missouri. 

Overall, spring temperatures were slightly 

above normal for most of the Missouri River 

Basin region, with widespread temperature 

departures in the 2°F-4°F range. The spring 

started off quite warm, as most states in the 

region ranked in the top 10 warmest Marches 

on record. April temperatures moderated a bit, 

while widespread below-normal temperatures 

occurred in May. This was the first time since 

last summer that the majority of the Basin 

experienced below-normal monthly average 

temperatures. 

The average U.S. temperature during May was 60.3°F, 0.1°F above average. The spring U.S. 

temperature was 53.7°F, 2.8°F above average. May U.S. precipitation was 3.04 inches, 0.13 inch above 

average. The spring U.S. precipitation was 9.03 inches, 1.09 inch above average.

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

Missouri Basin Streamflow

May 2016
Regional - Impacts for March - May 2016

Contact: Natalie Umphlett (numphlett2@unl.edu) Missouri River Basin Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook| June 2016

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

Regional - Outlook for July - September 2016 MO River Basin Partners

:#regionalclimateoutlooks

High Plains Regional Climate Center

www.hprcc.unl.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

National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center

www.nohrsc.noaa.gov

North Central Climate Science Center

http://nccsc.colostate.edu

South Dakota State University Extension

http://igrow.org

State Climatologists

www.stateclimate.org

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

Water Management Division

www.usace.army.mil

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

www.usbr.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

www.nrcs.usda.gov

NRCS National Water & Climate Center

www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov

Regional Climate Hubs

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

U.S. Geological Survey, Water Mission Area

www.usgs.gov/water

Western Governors’ Association

www.westgov.org

Above: (Left) Pathfinder Reservoir in Wyoming spilling over for only the 4th time in 30 years in early June, courtesy Chad McNutt; (Center) stripe rust on a flag leaf, the 

last leaf of a wheat plant, in Nebraska in May, courtesy CropWatch; and (Right), burn scar from March wildfires in Kansas and Oklahoma, courtesy NASA.

Limited Frost Damage to Crops this Spring

Early-season warmth punctuated by several hard freezes caused 

concerns for producers across the Basin. Although hard freezes are 

typical this time of the year, unseasonably warm weather caused 

early-emerged winter wheat to be particularly susceptible to low 

temperatures. A late-season event on May 14th spared most of the 

crops in the Dakotas, but canola, sugar beets, and alfalfa are being 

monitored for possible damage.

Wildfires Impact Region

Wildfires that were both inside and outside the region had an impact this spring. Ideal fire weather conditions were present in March across 

the Plains portion of the region, where short-term dryness and warmth were present. Additionally, there was ample fuel to burn after a wet fall 

encouraged plant growth. Although many fires burned during the month, the notable fire of the season was the Anderson Creek fire in southcentral Kansas. The fire, which started in Oklahoma, burned almost 400,000 acres and was ultimately one of the largest wildfires on record for 

Kansas. Meanwhile, thick smoke from the large Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada wildfire swept into the region in early May, reducing visibilities and 

creating poor air quality. In some locations, schools cancelled all outside activities and a Blue Angels flight show was cancelled in Lincoln, NE. 

Wet Conditions Cause Mixed Impacts

The wet spring had mixed impacts for farmers and ranchers across 

the region. Rangeland conditions were largely in the good to excellent 

categories, which was welcome news for ranchers trying to rebuild 

cattle herds. On the other hand, the wetness caused disease issues for 

crops like winter wheat, while some areas of Kansas, Nebraska, and 

South Dakota experienced delays in corn planting. Prevented planting 

insurance claims are likely in central and southeastern South Dakota.

3-Month Precipitation and 

Temperature Outlooks 

According to the Climate Prediction Center, 

El Niño conditions weakened this spring. As of 

this writing, neutral conditions were present. 

Outlooks show that La Niña conditions could 

develop this summer, with a 75% chance of 

continuance into the fall and winter.

Over the next three months, the outlooks 

favor increased chances for above-normal 

temperatures for the entire Basin, especially 

across western areas. The precipitation 

outlook shows increased chances for belownormal precipitation for western Montana 

and above-normal precipitation for northern 

Nebraska, much of South Dakota, and 

southern North Dakota.

Valid for July - September 2016

EC: Equal chances of above, near or below normal

A: Above normal, B: Below normal

Precipitation Temperature

U.S. Seasonal Drought 

Outlook

Valid for 06/16/2016 - 09/30/2016

Dry conditions early this spring led to 

the development of abnormally dry and 

moderate drought conditions across portions 

of the central and northern Plains, with 

peak coverage occurring in mid-April. Heavy 

precipitation alleviated the majority of the 

dryness issues, with moderate drought 

conditions lingering in only a few pockets 

of Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. 

The seasonal outlook indicates that most 

current drought conditions will persist through 

September. Drought development is likely 

across portions of western Montana.