Extreme Wyoming Drought

[highfastflyer]

Mike from Our Wyoming Life YT channel paints a sad picture of how bad and severe it really is now across most of the state with drought. It’s about 20 minutes long, he’s not a hunter but he does allow many antelope hunters on his ranch just south of Gillette. Imagine you are an antelope trying to survive and compete with cows, predators and extreme drought. These are highly managed ranch lands and the range conditions are even much worse than prime grazing pastures, worked and improved for over 100+ years. Worth a watch and informative for most of the West now experiencing such a brutal drought.

 

[wytex]

Drove over to Pinedale last week, sad , very sad situation across the Red Desert. Some areas looked like it had no spring green up this year, no new growth.
Really hoping some monsoon rains kick in this year.

 

[GeorgeE]

Pretty much the same story over much of the West…Closing National Forest in AZ, CA and OR…

 

[rocky2track]

Fished the Greys last weekend. It was running 1000 cfs lower than were it usually is for the middle of June. Starting to look like the middle of July already. The Green below Labarge, peaked over 2 weeks ago and has been running 3000 cfs below average. Trying to fill Fontenelle, but going slow, only 600 cfs out the dam on the Green. Blacks Fork by I-80 Little America, hell, 3 cfs only, usually near 1,000 cfs. Irrigators taking all they can in the Bridger Valley. For the most part, every waterway has been around 1/3rd flow where they usually are in southwest wyoming and Green River basin area. Weather outlook not good. Growing season half over, going to be a short hay crop this year.

 

[elks96]

Last week we got some great moisture on the southern side ones and around lander. 2-3 times we filled the gutters and really greened a lot up. We are still down but a couple days heavy rain really made a decent dent.

 

[elks96]

Sorry my should have referenced only the southern winds. Dubois south to South pass.

 

[nontypical]

Fished the Green in Seedskadee yesterday. Lower than it was a week& 1/2 ago. It's no higher than it was last August. I can't remember NEVER seeing runoff on the Green. If Fontenelle isn't full by now, it ain't gonna be this year!

Conversely, went walleye fishing at Seminoe last week. Actually fairly green over there! It rained a bunch while we were there; probably an inch in 24 hrs!

 

[rocky2track]

Fished the Green in Seedskadee yesterday. Lower than it was a week& 1/2 ago. It's no higher than it was last August. I can't remember NEVER seeing runoff on the Green. If Fontenelle isn't full by now, it ain't gonna be this year!

Conversely, went walleye fishing at Seminoe last week. Actually fairly green over there! It rained a bunch while we were there; probably an inch in 24 hrs!

A week and a half ago the Bureau was intermittently releasing 675 up to 700 cfs. That's now 650 to 675. On avg yrs they can usually release around 4,000 cfs. The Green inflow into Fontenelle is nearing 1,000 cfs. Average is usually around 5,000. Thats a huge volume of water that just isn't coming this year. Fontenelle creek inflow is 70 cfs below its average. Looks like some water was finally released down the Blacks Fork from the dam. Flows went from 2.5 cfs to 100 in a day. Dry dry dry year in southwest Wyoming.

 

[Chesterwyo]

The red desert south of I-80 between Rock Springs and Continental divide got quite a bit of rain this week. The antelope seem appreciative.

 

[Greatwhite]

Farmers are always in a drought and so is the west. That guy is also a douche.

 

[highfastflyer]

Farmers are always in a drought and so is the west. That guy is also a douche.

He only has nearly 200,000 subscribers on YT. This drought is extreme now and he tells it like it is. It is apparently obvious who the anal douchebag here is.

 

[GeorgeE]

Birds I know, but anyone hearing or seeing how Sage Hens have done? Huns and Sharpies for that matter…

 

[BuzzH]

Drove over to Pinedale last week, sad , very sad situation across the Red Desert. Some areas looked like it had no spring green up this year, no new growth.
Really hoping some monsoon rains kick in this year.

While still dry, the last week or so has changed things a bit.

There is green all through the red desert now, although not anything like normal...better than when you were through there at least.

 

[Cooper]

Farmers are always in a drought and so is the west. That guy is also a douche.

Is Greatwhite the description of your average shark week? Hopefully the flow will let up and you can get back to feeling better

 

[Chesterwyo]

Another report from drought stricken Wyoming. The area south of Rock Springs (Deer Area 102, Elk Area 30, Antelope Area 59) is more lush and green right now that it was a month ago.

 

[highfastflyer]

Most of the moisture reported was a meager .17 of an inch. The ground is so parched it soaks it up almost immediately.

If you thought June was hotter than normal, you would be correct. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Riverton, Rock Springs experienced its warmest June since they started keeping records in 1948. Also, not surprisingly, they show it was one of the driest Junes recorded.
The average Rock Springs daily temperature (daytime high/nighttime low) in June was 67.7 degrees. The NWS chart shows that it was 6.7 degrees higher than average. The month featured many 90 plus degree days in the middle of the month, with record-setting high temperatures set on June 14 (94 degrees) and June 15 (95 degrees). NWS records show the all-time high temperature in Rock Springs being 98 degrees set July 13, 2002.

As for precipitation, there was not a lot. Officially, Rock Springs received .17″ inches of moisture in June, making it the 13th driest June on record. The average June precipitation total is .53 inches.

Rock Springs' June average daily temperature sets record

July 3, 2021 — If you thought June was hotter than normal, you would be correct. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Riverton, Rock Springs experienced its warmest June since they started keeping records in 1948. Also, not surprisingly, they show it was one of the driest Junes...

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