This product will be updated May 5, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at drought.gov/drought-information-statements Please visit weather.gov/Omaha/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit drought.gov/drought-status-updates?dews_region=41 for regional drought status updates Drought Information Statement for Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa Valid April 7, 2024 Issued By: NWS Omaha/Valley Contact Information: nws.omaha@noaa.gov or 1-800-452-9074 SEVERE DROUGHT REMAINS IN SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE AREA ELSEWHERE ACROSS WESTERN IOWA AND EASTERN NEBRASKA DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE SLOWLY IMPROVING U.S. Drought Monitor Drought conditions have mostly improved over the past six months. Counties near the Missouri state lines have degraded just a bit over this time period. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): None D2 (Severe Drought): Platte, Butler, Seward, Saline, and Jefferson counties in eastern NE. D1 (Moderate Drought): Boone, Platte, Colfax, Butler, Saunders, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Lancaster, Cass, Otoe, Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Richardson in eastern NE. Morrison, Shelby, Pottawatamie, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, and Page Counties in western Iowa. D0 (Abnormally Dry): Gage, Johnson, Pawnee, Nemaha, Richardson, Platte, Colfax, Madison, Stanton, Dodge, Wayne, Cuming, Thurston, Burt, and Washington counties in eastern Nebraska. Monona and Morrison counties in western Iowa. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: None No Change: The entire area Drought Improved: None Drought category adjustments tend to be slowest in the winter months. Over the Past 30 Days Precipitation After a dry February, March grew wetter for western Iowa and northeast Nebraska. The remainder of eastern Nebraska continued to fall short of seasonal moisture. Over the Past 30 Days Temperature After a much warmer-than-normal February, March was pretty close to normal. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts River levels in southeast Nebraska remain below normal. Agricultural Impacts An Iowa extension entomologist is concerned crops in areas of prolonged drought will be more vulnerable to pests. Pest pressure tends to lead to disease pressure. Farmers should factor that into pest management. A buildup of nitrate in farm fields that has likely resulted from Iowa’s longest-running drought in 70 years has set the stage for a potentially massive uptick in stream pollution, state water-quality observers say. Fire Hazard Impacts All counties in the area are considered to now have “critical” fuel status. The entire area has been under occasional RED FLAG WARNINGS for critical fire danger already this spring. Other Impacts The water in Shenandoah’s city wells was about four feet deep, although it’s preferable to see at least 10 to 12 feet of water when the pumps are operating. If the water level were to drop to just one foot, the wells would have to be shut down. (KMTV 3 News) Mitigation Actions Irrigation and vehicle washing are not allowed in Shenandoah, IA. (KMTV 3 News) Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Streamflow reflects where the precipitation has been falling over the past 30 days. Although many are below normal, fewer Nebraska and Iowa rivers are running below normal than had been running low in the past few months. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture remains below normal in southeast Nebraska. The wettest soil remains northwest of this part of the country. The crop moisture index is running near normal over the southern two-thirds of the area and abnormally moist north of there. Fire Hazard Impacts All counties in the local area are considered to now have “critical” fuel status. The majority of fuels (dried corn in many cases) will support extreme fire behavior and spread when the weather conditions meet Red Flag criteria. Red Flag Warnings have already been issued multiple times so far this year. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast The map reflect the precipitation forecast for Saturday, April 6th. The remainder of the 7 day period shows mostly dry conditions are forecast in the area. April marks the beginning of the wettest half of the year in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Rapid onset of drought conditions are not expected. Climate Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The temperature outlook for April leans toward warmer than normal conditions across the area and much of the CONUS. Though El Nino is fading, its effects typically lag behind the oscillation itself. The precipitation outlook reflects a common El Nino pattern of wetter than normal conditions in Iowa and Nebraska. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Winter is the typically the driest season of the year in the Corn Belt. Drought category changes typically slow as a result. The 1-month drought outlook calls for drought to continue improving across much of the region thanks to the extra precipitation that may fall through the month of April. Questions, Comments, Resources The drought monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAA’s National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center, the USDA, state and regional center climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Information for this statement has been gathered from NWS and FAA observation sites, cooperative and volunteer observations, USDAFS, the USDA and USGS. If you have questions or comments about this Information, please contact: National Weather Service David Pearson - Senior Service Hydrologist Taylor Nicolaisen - Meteorologist, Drought Focal Point Van DeWald - Lead Meteorologist, Drought Focal Point Phone: (402) 359-5166 Email: David.Pearson@noaa.gov Taylor.Nicolaisen@noaa.gov Van.DeWald@noaa.gov Acknowledgments: National Weather Service Omaha: weather.gov/Omaha Climate Prediction Center Drought: cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Drought/ US Drought Monitor: droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ National Drought Mitigation Center: https://drought.unl.edu/ National Water Dashboard: dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/ National Integrated Drought Information System: drought.gov Current Drought Conditions: drought.gov/current-conditions Past Drought: drought.gov/historical-information USGS Water Watch: waterwatch.usgs.gov US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): usace.army.mil High Plains Regional Climate Center (HRPCC): hprcc.unl.edu Iowa State Climatologist: Justin Glisan, Ph.D. (515) 281-8981 iowaagriculture.gov/climatology-bureau Nebraska State Climatologist: Vacant nsco.unl.edu USDA Crop Information: nass.usda.gov/index.asp Drought Impact Reporter: droughtreporter.unl.edu/map