Wauneta Breeze

    By Tina Kitt
    The Wauneta Breeze

     Muddy spring fields have been a rare occurrence in recent years, but with over 3 inches of rain falling this March, spring field work has been temporarily put on hold. And more moisture appears to be on the way. April opened with warm, calm, sunny days, but by midweek gave way to a cool, windy storm front across the region.
     So far in the first quarter of 2005, 3.44 inches have fallen in the Wauneta area, according to data made available through the High Plains Climate Center, with the emerald glow of wheat fields attesting to the welcome presence of moisture. The HPCC reports 3.92 inches fell in Palisade during that same three-month period.
     On average, 2.19 inches can be expected during the January-February-March time frame in this area.
     January and February, typically the second and third driest months of the year behind December, saw even lower than average moisture amounts in 2005. January brought .17 of an inch and February brought .13 of inch, compared to averages of .46 and .50, respectively.
     Long-term averages show that in the Wauneta area 1.23 inches is typical for March, with this year's 3.14 inches making March 2005 one of the wettest on record. You have to go back to 1983 to find a wetter March. That year 3.42 inches fell in March, with 1983 finishing with a 12-month total of 17.07 inches of moisture.
     Temperatures were moderate during the first three months of 2005, according to National Weather Service data for Wauneta. March saw average daytime highs of 57 degrees and average lows of 29 degrees. The high for the month was 73 degrees and low was 17 degrees.
     Not surprisingly, January has proved the coldest month so far in 2005, with a low of minus 14. The high for the month was 70 degrees, but that was an isolated event, with the average high during January 39 degrees and the average low 18 degrees.
     Average highs in February in the Wauneta area were 51 degrees, with 25 degrees the average low. During the month the mercury topped out at 69 degrees and fell to a low of 15 degrees.
     According to the National Drought Mitigation Center based in Lincoln, southwest Nebraska remains categorized as being in a moderate to severe drought. In their seasonal drought outlook through June 2005, the Drought Monitor expects to see ongoing drought persist in western Nebraska, but with some improvement.
     Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana are now reported as some of the worst dry spots in the country.
     According to the NWS's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) things could be looking up for this area moisture-wise.
     "In the northern Rockies and northern High Plains, the drought outlook is somewhat more optimistic than last month despite recent deterioration in the Dakotas and Montana, with limited improvement shown for this region. Below-normal snowpack in the headwaters of the Missouri River Basin should result in ongoing hydrological drought this spring, but a return to a more normal precipitation pattern would benefit ranchers, farmers and firefighters," reads an April report put forth by the CPC.
     "The seasonal forecast models show a tendency toward wetter and cooler prospects than last month, although it is believed that the CFS model has a wet and cool bias in the recent runs, possibly because of unrealistic initial soil moisture input. Even discounting this model, there are few if any forecast tools over the seasonal time frame that depict dry and warm conditions for the Plains, with a consensus for wetness for the southern Plains and east of the drought area in the Great Lakes region," concludes the CPC report.