Since March 8, 2022, at least some part of Nebraska was under the Extreme Drought (4/5) category; and since July 26, 2022, parts of the state were under an Exceptional Drought (5/5). The drought persisted through the rest of 2022, into 2023, and now into early 2024. In Iowa, the drought hasn't been felt as hard as it has in Nebraska. Parts of the state have been in the Extreme Drought (4/5) category since June 20, 2023.
However, due to the recent surge of moisture from Christmas to the end of January, we have taken large strides in reducing and eliminating the drought. Now, no part of Nebraska is either in an Extreme or Exceptional Drought! As well, much of western Iowa saw big drought reductions too. This begs the question, how much moisture do we need to eliminate the drought in our region?
By December 19, most of the area was at least in the Severe Drought (3/5) category, including the Omaha metro. The Extreme Drought extended from Columbus to Hebron in eastern Nebraska, and from Audubon to Des Moines in Iowa. The Exceptional Drought covered parts of Polk, Butler, Seward, and York Counties back toward Grand Island.
First came the Christmas heavy rain/snow (the wettest Christmas Eve on record), then the back-to-back big snowstorms during the second week of January. This brought much-needed moisture to the region. This led to an above-average month for moisture and a well above-average month for snowfall.
All of this did a number on our drought. Now at the end of January, the Extreme and Exception drought categories have been eliminated from our viewing area! Two areas of severe drought remain, the first from Columbus to Fairbury in eastern NE, and the second from the Omaha metro into parts of western Iowa. Much of the rest of the viewing area is in the Moderate (2/5) Drought, while spots around Pawnee County, Maryville, and Norfolk are in the lower categories.
How close are we to placing this drought in the rearview mirror? We still need some work, but the end is in sight. To end the drought by March, we would need 4-6" of liquid precipitation, or 400-500% above the normal February precipitation (0.95"). To break the drought by the end of May, we would need around 11" of rainfall, or right around the average rainfall we see between now and then. This means that as long as we stay on average for precipitation into the spring and have one above-average month, we can say goodbye to the drought by the time Memorial Day comes around!
According to the Climate Prediction Center, the latest 90-day outlook suggests an above-average chance for a wet couple of months. The outlook is looking good for a possible end to the drought as Spring rolls around.
