County slips back into drought

Crook County has once again slipped into drought conditions due to an ongoing “snow drought”.

The latest data from the National Integrated Drought Information System shows that, during the last month, 95% of the county has entered a state of moderate drought.

The western half of the nation is currently experiencing a snow drought, with snow water equivalent below normal at 78% of stations. Northern Wyoming is among the hardest hit areas.

Though the southwest could see conditions continue to improve over the next few weeks, the northwest is leaning towards dry do to the typical El Niño winter pattern.

So far, this has been the 22nd driest year on record, with .34 less inches from normal.

The outlook suggests that the situation will not improve in the short term, with significantly less precipitation predicted than a normal year over the next month. The southern part of the county could experience below 25% of its usual snow.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center expects the drought conditions to persist for at least the next three months, with a good chance that temperatures will also lean above normal.