Drought Information Statement for Eastern NE and Southwest IA Valid November 2, 2023 Issued By: NWS Omaha/Valley, NE Contact Information: nws.omaha@noaa.gov This product will be updated November 30, 2023 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://weather.gov/oax/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. U.S. Drought Monitor Drought conditions have remained generally unchanged across eastern Nebraska and southeast Nebraska Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): Portions of Butler and Seward. D3 (Extreme Drought): Boone, Platte, Colfax, Butler, Saunders, Seward, Lancaster, Saline, Jefferson, Dodge in eastern NE. D2 (Severe Drought): Thurston, Wayne, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Boone, Colfax, Dodge, Washington, Saunders, Dodge, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Seward, Lancaster, Cass, Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties in Eastern NE. Monona, Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Mills and Montgomery in southwest IA. D1 (Moderate Drought): Small portions of northeast NE, southeast NE, and southwest IA. D0 (Abnormally Dry): Portions of northeast NE, southeast NE and far southwest IA. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Small portions of southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa. No Change: A large part of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. Drought Improved: Portions of northeast Nebraska and northwest Iowa. Over the Past 30 Days Precipitation Precipitation across the local region over the previous 30 days has been well below normal (25-50%) over the southern two thirds of the area and well above normal over the northern third. Over the Past 30 Days Temperature Temperatures across the local region have been generally 1-3 degrees above normal over the previous 30 days. Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Local streamflow is 10-25% of normal over the southern half of the area. Precipitation deficits for the year are running 4-8” below normal ifor most of the area. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture remains low in areas south and east of the Omaha metropolitan area. Nebraska’s October corn yield estimate of 174 bushels per acre was 5% below the August estimate due to late season heat. Fire Hazard Impacts All counties in the 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. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions In October, Shenandoah, IA enacted water restrictions for the first time in 23 years. Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Streamflow reflects where the precipitation has been falling over the past 30 days. Much of northeast Nebraska is flowing normal or above normal. Much of southeast Nebraska and parts of southwest Iowa are below normal. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture has improved dramatically in northeast Nebraska. Soil moisture continues to run below normal for the remainder of the area. The crop moisture index is running Near Normal. 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. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast There are small precipitation chances in the forecast in the next 7 days. Amounts are forecast to remain below 0.10”. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The seasonal outlook for October leans toward a wetter than normal October. Temperatures have equal chances of near, above or below normal values by the time the month wraps up. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The seasonal 3 month drought outlook calls for drought to persist across much of the region. Areas south and east of the Omaha metropolitan area may see some improvement over the course of November, December and January. 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 Omaha 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