LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Recent rainfall across Nebraska may not have done enough to alleviate the state’s persistent drought, with many areas that needed moisture most receiving insufficient amounts. The southeast region received the most rain over the past few days, where conditions are abnormally dry or in moderate drought. The southern panhandle, where conditions are most severe, received minimal rainfall. Last Thursday’s drought monitor showed exceptional drought in portions of the panhandle, including Morrill and Garden counties, where nearly 1 million acres burned in February. Two-thirds of the state was in extreme drought, according to the map released last Thursday.
“Conditions are probably about as bad as a dust bowl. The map that was released last Thursday shows that two-thirds of the state were in extreme drought, which basically means that if you combine factors, that’s the worst 5% we’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Eric Hunt, a climatologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Hunt said it would take multiple good rains in a row with cooler temperatures over the span of a month to pull some areas out of their drought conditions. Pasture conditions around the state are poor, with only 4% considered very good to excellent – dead last in the nation.
“Some of the northern panhandle and northeast Nebraska did okay, but there’s large sections of north central and northeastern Nebraska that did not pick up as much. And the southern panhandle generally got the shaft yet again,” Hunt said.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s drought monitor will update again Thursday morning. It will give scientists a better idea of how much this weekend’s storms made a difference in the state’s drought.
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