The headline so far
The region is one of extremes.
Stretching from Texas north to the Canadian border and west to include Montana and Wyoming, the Great Plains area already experiences a wide variation in climate from south to north. Average annual temperatures run from 70 degrees in Texas to 40 degrees in the northern Rockies, with extremes ranging from winter's -70 degrees in Montana to summer’s 121 degrees in North Dakota and Kansas. During the past 130 years, North Dakota has seen the fastest increase in average annual temperatures of any state in the Lower 48, largely due to rising winter temperatures. The region tends to be so dry on average that it loses more water from evaporation and the moisture plants release than it gains from rainfall and snow melt. Indeed, as the region increasingly draws on underground aquifers, it is becoming increasingly dependent on rainfall for farm irrigation.
Look-ahead
Even with significant emissions reductions, the Great Plains is likely to see the number of days with temperatures topping 100 degrees F. double in the north and quadruple in the south by midcentury. The number of nights with minimum temperatures above 80 degrees in the south and 60 degrees in the north also are expected to increase. Warmer winters have their pluses: lower heating bills, less cold stress on people and livestock, and a growing season 24 days longer than the 1971-2000 average. Little change is expected for summer and fall rains, while in the north, winter and springtime snow and rain are expected to increase, as is the amount of water dumped by the most intense storms. The changes have enormous implications for farming, ranching, and traditional energy production.
What’s being done?
Not much, judging from the states' climate-specific actions alone. Of eight states, none has set emissions targets, and none has comprehensive adaptation plans. But many states here have programs or standards for their transportation, energy, or building sectors that have climate benefits (as do most other regions). The Great Plains states are Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
