The summer of 2018 has been one of the driest on record for Star Valley.  The month of September was virtually without rain.  The greatest reported in the valley for the month was .10 just south of Smoot.   Only .03  occurred in Thayne , .02  Bedford,  .01  Afton with just a trace in Star Valley Ranch.

The September .02 measured at the Bedford 3 SE cooperative station, which has a record back to 1975 tied for  the least amount for any month per the following list:

 

 

The following graph illustrates how dry the summer of 2018 has been  at the Bedford 3 SE cooperative weather station  where the record goes back to 1975.   Only 1.24 fell in the 3 month period(driest on record), while the average is 4.68 during the July to September period.  Even less fell at Star Valley Ranch,  with just under an inch (.90).

 

 

 

September the entire state of Wyoming was exceptionally dry

 

 

 

 

Looking back over the 3 month summer period much of Western and Central Wyoming experienced very dry conditions

 

At Star Valley Ranch as of the last day in September it has been 33 consecutive days of no measurable precipitation. Earlier in the summer there was an additional 27 straight days that no measurable rain occurred ending on August 22 when a couple of good showers temporarily eased the dryness.

Much of the Western states also experienced a dry summer.  There were some exceptions, mainly related to a better than normal Monsoon season over the desert southwest.

 

Prior to this summer, much of Wyoming had received beneficial moisture for the past couple years.  As a result the only area of the state at this time that is experiencing drought conditions is near the southern border.