Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin for June–August 2022. Dated September 2022.

Temperatures were above normal for the majority of the Missouri River Basin, with the greatest departures in the western parts of Kansas and Nebraska. Precipitation was above normal in Colorado and parts of Wyoming due to the Southwest Monsoon, while other isolated pockets of near-normal precipitation were present in the basin. Much of Kansas and Nebraska were well below normal, resulting in the intensification of drought conditions in those states.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin for March–May 2022. Dated June 2022.

Temperatures were below normal for the majority of the Missouri River Basin. The greatest departures were in North Dakota and northwestern Wyoming. Precipitation was well above normal in North Dakota and near normal over the Rockies and eastern Kansas. Over southwestern South Dakota, western Kansas, and eastern Colorado, precipitation was well below normal this spring.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin for December 2021–February 2022. Dated March 2022.

Winter temperatures were above normal for the majority of the Missouri River Basin. Precipitation was mostly below normal in the mountains and plains. The exception was eastern North Dakota with well-above-normal precipitation and snowfall. Many counties in northern Kansas and Nebraska ranked among their driest winters on record.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin September - November 2021. Dated December 2021.

Temperatures remained much above normal across the entire Missouri River Basin. These above normal temperatures resulted in all the states within the Missouri River Basin ranking in the top 10 warmest falls on record. Precipitation this fall varied with most of the region observing below normal precipitation aside from the Northeast and Kansas.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin June - August 2021. Dated September 2021.

Extreme heat and reduced precipitation in the region this summer had a major impact on crops, grasslands, and wildlife. Many states ranked in the top 10 warmest summers on record.  Below normal precipitation was present this season for most of the region.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin March - May 2021. Dated June 2021.

There were stark differences in both temperature and precipitation across the region this spring. Temperatures were, for the most part, near to below normal across much of the west and south, and near to above normal across the east.  Meanwhile, heavy precipitation fell across southern areas and little to none fell across the north.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin December 2020 – February 2021. Dated March 2021.

Temperatures this winter were extreme on both ends of the spectrum. Several states in the region ranked in the top 10 warmest Decembers and Januarys, while others ranked in the top 10 coldest Februarys.  Although much of the region was on the dry side this winter, only North Dakota ranked in the top 10 at 3rd driest.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin September – November 2020. Dated December 2020.

Autumn 2020 was one of the driest on record for several states, including North Dakota (3rd), Colorado (9th), Nebraska (9th), Kansas (19th), and South Dakota (20th). Although temperatures were, overall, near normal, autumn had many extremes.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin September – November 2018. Dated December 2018.

Overall, it was a cool autumn across the Missouri River Basin, with widespread temperature departures in the 2-6°F below-normal range.  While precipitation varied across the region, it was a particularly wet autumn for an area extending from eastern New Mexico through Wisconsin.

Provides a definition of El Nino; the outlook for winter temperatures and precipitation; potential winter and spring impacts; and a look back at previous El Nino winters.

NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program created these Outlooks to inform the public about climate impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the Drought Portal at https://www.drought.gov/drought/resources/reports.