Climate scientists expect drought conditions in the Northern Plains to expand, especially in portions of South Dakota. But the next few weeks of rain could bring some relief.
Current drought conditions continue a dry pattern from 2020.
Doug Kluck is the director of Midwest climate services for the National Weather Service. He says weather trends can be persistent.
“The other thing about some of the drought areas, especially way up north in the Northern Plains, and southern Canada for that matter, is that the drought didn’t start this spring. In fact, a lot of dry areas started last fall and even late last summer.”
Weather officials predict droughts in south central and southwestern South Dakota will continue to worsen. But Kluck says any rain is a temporary solution.
“Now, it doesn’t mean it’s going to fix it. All it does is sort of dampen it down for a while. What we really need is a series of wet storms moving through there, not just one-offs like these.”
Long-term forecasts suggest more rain is possible over the dryer parts of the Midwest in the next few weeks.
Research scientist Aaron Wilson says South Dakota can expect minor drought improvements.
“A large expansive area across much of the region, from Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, the probabilities for above average precipitation are higher.”
The National Weather Service predicts warmer temperatures statewide, with lower chances of precipitation west of the Missouri River from June to July.