January 16, 2003
Nebraska Experiences Third Driest Year in 2002
LINCOLN, Neb. — Last year was the third driest year for Nebraska and Wyoming in the more than a century that records have been kept, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln drought specialist said.
"Though drought and even multi-year droughts such as we are experiencing now are a normal and expected climatic pattern, the current drought is rapidly setting records in a number of areas," said Mike Hayes, an Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources climate impact specialist with the National Drought Mitigation Center at UNL. He spoke Wednesday (Jan. 15) at the first in a series of Water and Natural Resources Seminars.
Moderate to extreme drought conditions extend across the High Plains and much of the West, including more than 30 percent of the continental United States. At the height of the drought last summer, more than half of the county was affected. Only droughts of the 1930s and late 1950s affected a greater percentage of the country's land mass, he said.
"Only the Dust Bowl years of 1934 and 1936 were drier in Nebraska than what we experienced in 2002," Hayes said.
Nebraska averaged only 20 percent of normal precipitation in the last 60 days and had about 40 percent to 80 percent of normal precipitation in the past year, he said.
The drought has had sweeping effects throughout the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountain West and the nation.
Nebraska's agricultural losses from drought last year are estimated at about $1.2 billion, Hayes said. South Dakota reported agricultural losses of $1.8 billion last year. Colorado estimated $1.1 billion in agricultural losses and $1.7 billion in losses to the state's tourism industry. Wyoming, Montana and Missouri reported similar agricultural losses for 2002.
Drought helped shrink last year's U.S. wheat crop to the smallest since 1972, he said.
Nationally, drought-related wildfires consumed more than 7 million acres and cost $1.25 billion to fight.
Much of the surface water Nebraska depends on for agriculture, recreation, wildlife and domestic uses comes from Rocky Mountain snowmelt that fills reservoirs in the North Platte River basin.
Drought-watchers are closely monitoring snowfall in the Rockies, where Hayes estimates this winter's precipitation has averaged only 75 percent to 90 percent of normal. This will compound problems with basin reservoirs that already are far below normal capacity because of low inflows last year and last summer's irrigation demands.
More drought information, including the National Drought Monitor that charts drought nationally, is available at the National Drought Mitigation Center's Web site, or from the Web site of the High Plains Regional Climate Center, also based at UNL.
UNL Water and Natural Resources Seminars continue each Wednesday from 3 to 3:50 p.m through April 30, except March. 19, in 116 L.W. Chase Hall on UNL's East Campus They are free to the public. For a list of speakers, call the UNL Water Center at (402)472-3305 or go to UNL Water Center.
1/16/03-SR
Steve Ress UNL Water Center - Communications Coordinator (402) 472-3305
Department: School of Natural Resource Sciences
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