This product will be updated June 24, 2025 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Drought Information Statement for Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa Valid May 15th, 2025 Issued By: NWS Omaha/Valley Contact Information: nws.omaha@noaa.gov or 1-800-452-9074 DRY CONDITIONS HAVE BROUGHT EXPANSION OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS A HOT AND DRY SUMMER IS FORECAST ACROSS THE AREA WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BRING WORSENING CONDITIONS U.S. Drought Monitor The area was drought free in mid-July. Things deteriorated quickly through the fall with very little change since late November. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): The Antelope County area has seen drought intensify over the past 30 days. D2 (Severe Drought): Severe drought is relegated to the western fringe of the forecast area. D1 (Moderate Drought): Nearly the entire remainder of eastern Nebraska is designated as “moderate drought”. D0 (Abnormally Dry): Western Iowa is now considered “abnormally dry”. Expect drought conditions to worsen here with odds leaning toward a warm and dry summer. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change: Drought Worsened: Large swaths of Nebraska from the Omaha metro through south-central Nebraska to Sidney, NE in the southern panhandle. No Change: Western Iowa, northeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa. Drought Improved: None Over the Past 30 Days Precipitation Very little precipitation has fallen across the area over the past 30 days with more than half of the area recording less than 50% of normal precipitation. The second half of May brings a pattern change and a chance of significant precipitation. This rainfall would be welcomed before drier conditions are favored for the summer months. Over the Past 30 Days Temperature Warmer than normal conditions have prevailed over 2025 so far and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue. Lincoln, Norfolk, and Omaha have all averaged warmer than even recent climatological averages. This is in part to the dry conditions. Norfolk +1.1° warmer than the 1/1 to 5/14 avg (1991-2020) Omaha +1.0° warmer than the 1/1 to 5/14 avg (1991-2020) Lincoln +1.4° warmer than the 1/1 to 5/14 avg (1991-2020) Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Groundwater levels in Nebraska generally dipped in 2024. Southeast Nebraska groundwater levels dropped 10-15 feet compared to 2023 according to a UNL study. (NebraskaPublicMedia.org) Agricultural Impacts Continued winter wheat damage from ongoing drought. (weather.gov/MBRFC) Low water in stock ponds and limited water for livestock and/or irrigation. (weather.gov/MBRFC) Fire Hazard Impacts Nebraska continued a fire ban for central and western parts of the state including areas north of Columbus and west of Norfolk. (Nebraska.gov) Pottawattamie and Shelby counties are currently under a burn ban (Iowa State Fire Marshal) Other Impacts A new NIDIS-funded study examined the impact of severe drought on respiratory mortality in Iowa. (iopScience.iop.org) Mitigation Actions As of 5/15/25, Shenandoah, IA remains in stage 4 water restrictions. (KMALand.com) Regional Water Rural Water Association implemented “level RED” restrictions on water usage. This includes customers in Shelby, Harrison, and northern Pottawattamie counties in Iowa (pottcounty-ia.gov) Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts As is reflected in the drought monitor, Iowa’s hydrologic conditions are much closer to normal than those recorded in Nebraska. The worst streamflow conditions in southeast Nebraska correlate to where groundwater levels have fallen the most over the past year. Agricultural Impacts Nebraska’s dry soils are quite obvious on this map which shows a large portion of the area under the 10th percentile of mid-May soil moisture ranking. The Crop Moisture Index is starting to indicate the dryness is affecting ag activity across parts of Nebraska. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage A lack of meaningful precipitation across the area over the past thirty days has warranted significant expansion of drought conditions across Nebraska. With the long-range forecast leaning warm and dry, the Climate Prediction Center has forecast that the drought will continue in eastern Nebraska and expand farther east into Iowa.