February 08, 2002

LINCOLN, Neb. — Recent snowfall in eastern and southeastern Nebraska eliminated short-term dryness and grass fire danger, but most of the Panhandle is now in a moderate drought, a University of Nebraska climatologist said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor map shows a large portion of the Panhandle in a moderate drought as dryness spreads east from Colorado and Wyoming, said Mark Svoboda, climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center in NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Southwestern parts of the state, the Panhandle and western parts of the Sandhills continue to be abnormally dry and a focal point for fire danger, said Al Dutcher, NU state climatologist.

"Temperatures in the 40s accompanied with low relative humidity can really set off fires, especially this time of year when there are aggressive wind speeds during the heat of the day," he said.

Much of eastern, southwest and southeast Nebraska received nearly normal precipitation for January from the recent snowstorm, he said. Normal precipitation for January is just over 1/2 inch. A foot of snow is equal to about 1 inch of precipitation.

"As long as it remains porous and temperatures don't shoot up in the 50s and 60s, now is the perfect set up for the snow's moisture to infiltrate into the profile," Dutcher said. "It works like a sponge."

However, most of western Nebraska remains open, with little to no snow cover, and vulnerable to wind damage and winter wheat kill, Dutcher said.

Stream and river forecasts also are extremely low in northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming – up to 40 percent lower than normal in some places, Svoboda said. These streams and rivers replenish Nebraska's reservoirs used for irrigation.

Although Lake McConaughy near Ogallala rose almost 11 feet since last Sept. 1, the lake still is 25 elevation feet below what's considered full and about 15 feet below where it should be this time of year.

There is ample moisture within Lake McConaughy to make it through two irrigation seasons, Dutcher said, but recreation could suffer if precipitation lags.

There still is time to make up some of that moisture, Dutcher said. In Nebraska, precipitation in November, December and January represents only 10 percent of the state's yearly total. The Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming receive the majority of their snow in February and March, he said. Precipitation in Colorado and Wyoming, as it moves down streams and rivers east to Nebraska, will make a difference in replenishing Nebraska's reservoirs.

It's also too early to tell if the current weather patterns will affect the growing season, he said. The state's soil profile actually is in better shape this year than it was the last two years going into the growing season, he said.

Although the recent warm and drier air has taken away some topsoil moisture, the soil profile is at normal range of 4 to 5 inches of moisture, and spring rains have yet to fall, Dutcher said.

02/08/02-SA

Al Dutcher
School of Natural Resource Sciences
State Climatologist
(402) 472-5206

Mark Svoboda
National Drought Mitigation Center
Climatologist
(402) 472-8238

Sandi Alswager Karstens
IANR News and Photography
(402) 472-3030

Department: National Drought Mitigation Center|School of Natural Resource Sciences