Sioux Falls Closing out 2020 Dry

Here in Sioux Falls, It has been a dry, dry December 2020 so far. Remember the 5 or 6 inches of snow we picked up on November 10, 2020?  That's been about it. Add that to the fact that it hasn't rained much and we are getting dry! The photo above isn't from West Texas, it's from here in Sioux Falls. That's what the land looks like where they have cleared it for a new road and construction.

Remember last year? The last week of the year we picked up a load of snow and the headlines read; The rain and snow that hit Sioux Falls this weekend was enough to make 2019 the wettest year in Sioux Falls history. So far this year, 39.27.

2020 has been different. Popcorn Fart different.

So, how much precipitation have we received this year? If I'm reading the charts correctly, in 2019 we had 39.54 inches of precipitation in Sioux Falls. This year we are 15 plus inches below our normal 26.7 inches.

Earlier this month, my wife and I, along with granddaughter Harper went out to cut down a Christmas tree. They had to shut the farm down early partially because they had super customer traffic and the other part, it's 'popcorn fart dry.'

Popcorn Fart Dry. It's an expression I've heard for years. My Dad used to use it frequently. It was a phrase used to describe something dry. If you check out the Urban Dictionary you see that they had a different take on the words;

The rapid firing of several small farts, which when done correctly, sounds quite similar to a small mouse riding through the house on a motorcycle. Putt puttputt puttputt!

While much of the state of South Dakota is either abnormally dry or dry, a kidney-shaped area around Sioux Falls, then south, then into Northeast Iowa are bone dry, or drier than a popcorn fart. You can check the map here!

While the forecast isn't quite ready to roll Sioux Falls and areas of Iowa out of this drought situation I would imagine that most people from around these parts might agree with a farmer friend I was talking with the other day. Dan Soulek told me;

When it comes to droughts, if you talk to most farmers or people in agriculture, if we're going to have to have a drought most would prefer it happen in December and January. And maybe into February.

So, other than maybe wishing and hoping for a White Christmas we'll settle for the next best thing. Dry roads for safe travel on the way to Grandma's house. Merry Christmas!