Monsoon weather brings hail and heavy rain

Wyoming experienced extreme monsoon weather that brought tornados, hail, and heavy rain to much of the state for the week ending July 29, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Mountain Regional Field Office, Wyoming. Twenty-eight of the 33 reporting stations reported below normal temperatures for the week with a high temperature of 98 degrees and a low of 38 degrees, both recorded at Kaycee. Below normal moisture was reported at 16 of the 33 reporting stations. Three reporting stations had no precipitation. Lance Creek reported the most moisture with 2.54 inches. A reporter from northeastern Wyoming noted extreme weather with flash flooding, hail and sleet in the higher elevations. A reporter from southern Wyoming indicated that hay producers have suffered from the earlier drought conditions and production is approximately 50 percent of normal. Reports in southeastern Wyoming also mentioned extreme weather with strong winds and flooding, however reports noted that while wheat harvest was slowed due to rain, yields are looking good.