Significant drought has been in the Central and Southern Plains subjectively since fall of 2021. Thanks to La Nina's tendency for a ridge of high pressure and heat during the summer, and a storm track to the north in the winter, drought has been more or less maintained in the region for about 18 months. Even when that broke down this winter and the weather pattern became very active across the country, the region still missed out on most systems, with eastern areas of the Plains getting in on some better showers. Widespread and deep drought has been the result, and much has been written about the effect on forage and winter wheat conditions so far this year. But there is a slight break in the pattern.
An upper-level trough in the central Rockies on the morning of April 25 is starting to produce some showers and thunderstorms over the hardest hit areas of drought, an area that encompasses most of Nebraska and Kansas, eastern Colorado, western Oklahoma, and western Texas. This system will dive into the region on April 26 and showers and thunderstorms will build across the region going into April 27. The result is a forecast for some heavy rain across the deepest drought areas in Kansas, Colorado, western Oklahoma, and the northern Texas Panhandle. Some areas are still going to be left out. But this is the largest coverage area of heavy rainfall this region has seen in about two years.
Source: dtnpf.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages-WiyadaA
Categories: Kansas, Weather