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The lead author with the National Drought Monitor says extended dryness could persist through the summer

Brian Fuchs with the National Drought Mitigation Center says the long-term outlook calls for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. “We may see some intensification and we may some drought plateauing and kind of sticking at the same level that it’s at.”

He tells Brownfield widespread rainfall brought immediate relief, but that could change. “If we jump right into consistent 90-dgree weather with wind again, we will be having a different discussion as far as drought goes.”

He says areas of the Great Plains have been behind on moisture since October but average rainfall gets producers back on track. “If we get the timely rains and we don’t get the heavy deluges like the 3 inches in 30 minutes, that doesn’t do producers a whole lot of good,” he says. But if you get 3 inches over 3 days, that’s what they would call a million-dollar rain.” 

Fuchs was a panelist on Brownfield’s latest roundtable discussion about the 2022 Drought in the Great Plains