Northern Red River Valley Faces Ongoing Drought Risk

It’s summer according to the calendar, and the weather in the Northern Plains is starting to reflect that. NDAWN Director Daryl Ritchison says even though temperatures have been cooler, this summer will likely still be warmer and drier than average. “June, although still below average for most areas, has been a little cooler, and it’s been a slower start for crop development, but there are still so many reasons to believe that we’ll see a change. I don’t think it’ll necessarily be devastating, but it will be a noticeably different July and August, say, than what a lot of people experienced in June.” Drought conditions are likely to persist in the northern part of the Red River Valley. “The northern Red River Valley is going to be the area of the highest concern in the short term and maybe even the long term through the summer for precipitation. If the rains are timely, even though you’re below average, you can still do pretty well, but that has been by far the driest area.”