PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (NE) Nebraska Drought Update

Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:50:50 EDT

Summary: Nebraska has seen no significant change in its drought status over the past month.

Nebraska has seen no significant change in its drought status over the past month. A spokesman for the National Drought Mitigation Center said that many areas of Nebraska are still very vulnerable to a drought relapse, adding that this was "equivalent to a drought hangover." This was the theme of the Nebraska Climate Assessment and Response Committee meeting of June 25, 2013.

Event Information:
Hydrologic Conditions:
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that drought conditions in Nebraska have improved slightly in the eastern one-third of the state, but 92.0 percent of the state is still categorized in the range of Abnormally Dry to having Exceptional drought. 3.6 percent of Nebraska is in the Exceptional drought category, 34.7 percent in the Extreme drought category, and 67.9 percent of the state remained in at least the Severe drought category (no change in any of these categories since June 4).

Records or Milestones:
Of 60 long-term USGS streamgages (>30 years record) in Nebraska, three (or five percent) are at no flow (no significant change from the Drought Report of May 1 or June 4). The 7-day average streamflow for 14 of the long-term streamgages (23 percent, up from the reported 15 percent from the Drought Report of June 4) are classified as being "Below Normal" to "Extreme Hydrologic Drought."

The USGS Groundwater Watch shows that 38 percent (slightly higher than the 34 percent noted in the previous report) of ranked wells in the Nebraska Continuous Groundwater-Level Network are less than the 24th percentile (Below Normal or Much Below Normal). The most affected zones are the Upper Big Blue River Basin and the Republican River Basin.

Additional Efforts Required due to the Drought:
Three additional low-flow discharge measurements were needed in the Big and Little Blue River Basins because flows were approaching Blue River Compact compliance levels. No low-end rating extensions were required in the past month.

Special projects:
None in the past month.

Communications and Outreach:
Nebraska WSC staff have answered numerous media requests for drought information to date (none in the past month).


A WWW page is available http://ne.water.usgs.gov/drought/
No news release is planned.
Storm Surge: no

A WWW page is available, the URL is: http://ne.water.usgs.gov/drought
No news release is planned.
Storm Surge: no

Submitted by: Rachael Hoagland (hoagland@usgs.gov) 402.328.4190


Sub-Region: Midwest; Region: Central United States

Sub-Region: Midwest; Region: Central United States