Drought monitor and current conditions

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Summer is approaching, which can be known for drought.

Looking back about a month, 69% of the state was in some form of drought; 3.79% of the state was at a level four of five, or the red.

With the high heat of the first week in May, the drought monitor worsened; 73.39% of the area was in some drought, while 5.96% was in an extreme drought.

Then we received several inches of rain in mid-May, but there have only been minor improvements to the drought monitor.

The latest edition came out towards the end of the rainy stretch, with only 58.28% of the area under some form of drought.

May’s rain has far exceeded normal amounts. Some even have almost doubled, if not more than doubled, normal monthly rainfall.

But drought persists for many across western North Dakota because of how long it has been dry, extending back to last year. These areas still need more rain.

Above is another drought product from the National Centers for Environmental Information. This breaks the state up into nine districts, and can tell us how much rain in a certain timeframe it will take to get rid of the drought entirely.

If we get normal rainfall, plus extra rain in a month, for some, we can end the drought. This adds up to about three to five inches of rain needed across western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

The seasonal outlook for June, July and August predicts a drier than normal summer, so the drought conditions will likely continue, if not get worse.

To help ensure the accuracy of the Drought Monitor, you can submit “Condition Monitoring Observer Reports” on the National Drought Mitigation Center’s website.