Drought Information Statement for Western & Central Wyoming Valid September 24th, 2024 Issued By: WFO Riverton, WY Contact Information: This product will be updated by October 4, 2024, or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/riw/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. Severe (D2) drought conditions continue in Park, Teton, eastern Natrona and northwest Fremont counties Moderate (D1) drought conditions increased in area across Fremont, Natrona, Washakie and Johnson counties Abnormally Dry conditions remain across most of the state with the only exception being parts of Sweetwater County 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Wyoming Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None occurring. D3 (Extreme Drought): In areas of the Rapid City and Cheyenne CWAs. D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of Teton, Park and Fremont Counties as well as along the eastern border of Wyoming. D1 (Moderate Drought): Areas of Lincoln to Sublette, Teton and Park counties. Western Fremont and Hot Springs counties. Big Horn, Washakie, Johnson and Natrona counties. This also includes nearly all eastern counties in Wyoming D0: (Abnormally Dry): All other counties except a small section of Sweetwater County. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest 4-week change map for Wyoming Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened: Northeastern Sweetwater, central Fremont, Natrona, Johnson and Washakie, and portions of Park and Teton counties. No Change: Across much of the state. Drought Improved: Southern Sweetwater County and a couple of slivers of green Other than convective activity with passing systems, there were no significant rain producing events. Gusty winds have been a factor through the month. Precipitation A large portion of Wyoming had below normal precipitation over the past 30 days. Above normal precipitation was mainly across Fremont County, northern Sweetwater County, northern Big Horn and western Teton Counties. Link to ACIS Climate Maps from the High Plains Regional Climate Center Temperature Park County and eastern Natrona county were the hot spots with 4-6 degrees above normal. Most central and eastern counties had temperatures 2-6 degrees above normal. The remainder of the state was 0-2 degrees above normal. Below average temperatures were only noted in Sweetwater and northern Big Horn counties. Summary of Impacts (graphics on following slides) Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Conditions are expected to remain dry across much of the state with the drought persisting in many areas. Any flooding would be the result of thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall over a short period of time. Agricultural Impacts USDA Wyoming Crop Progress and Condition Reports can be found here Fire Hazard Impacts The northern areas of the state have small chances with low humidity and gusty winds, but not showing any significant impacts at this time (Most recent Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook) Other Impacts Wildland grasses and shrubs have reached critical criteria across many areas in the state. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information Clear debris from around structures to protect from potential wildfires Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Temperatures for October are expected to trend above normal across the southwest half. The trend for the northeast half is leaning toward climatology with equal chances of below, at or above normal temperatures. October precipitation chances are leaning toward below normal amounts for the south half and equal chances of above, at or below normal across the north. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought conditions are expected to persist over the west and north, as well as the eastern counties