USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey cautions that lingering drought conditions and below-average snowfall in North Dakota could create challenges for the 2025 growing season. “We are looking at soils that are fairly dry, even in some of the non-drought areas,” Rippey explained. “As you move further south and west, increasingly significant levels of drought exist, particularly toward the Montana border and into South Dakota.” While short-term weather patterns have improved, Rippey highlighted the potential of summer dryness. “Spring patterns look a little more optimistic with recent rain and snow. However, there’s a risk that a heat dome could move eastward in the summer, potentially tilting precipitation patterns toward dryness, not just in North Dakota but throughout the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains.”
