This product will be updated July 9, 2025 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly.  
Please see all currently available products at drought.gov/drought-information-statements
Please visit weather.gov/Omaha/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit drought.gov/drought-status-updates?dews_region=41 for regional drought status updates
Drought Information Statement for Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa
Valid April 1st, 2025
Issued By: NWS Omaha/Valley
Contact Information: nws.omaha@noaa.gov or 1-800-452-9074
IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE AT A SLOW PACE.

AS THE AREA ENTERS THE WET SEASON, THE DROUGHT MONITOR CAN BE EXPECTED TO SEE CHANGES WITH A GREATER FREQUENCY.
1

U.S. Drought Monitor

The area was drought free in mid-July. Things deteriorated quickly through the fall with very little change since late November. 

Drought intensity and Extent

D4 (Exceptional Drought): None

D3 (Extreme Drought): None

D2 (Severe Drought): Severe drought is relegated to northeast Nebraska. 

D1 (Moderate Drought): Most of the remainder of northeast Nebraska and the bulk of the forecast area south of Interstate 80.

D0 (Abnormally Dry): An increasingly large portion of the area is now considered “abnormally dry”. This includes a large swath of the forecast area that sweeps from south-central Nebraska to north-central Iowa. 


Over the Past 30 Days
Precipitation
The “snow drought” continued over much of the area through February before March brought regular waves of rain and snow to the area - especially north of the Platte River. 

While more rainfall would have been welcomed in southern portions of the area, it was the north that was in greatest need. 

Over the Past 30 Days
Temperature
Despite widespread snowfall across the area this month (a significant portion of the season’s total snowfall for Lincoln and Omaha), the month was warmer than normal.

Lincoln, Norfolk, and Omaha were all considerably warmer than recent averages over the past thirty days. 


Summary of Impacts

Hydrologic Impacts 
For 2025, runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City is forecast to be 80% of average. This will require release adjustments to provide support for navigation. (usace.army.mil)

Agricultural Impacts
Despite the lack of snow, feedlot owners report “wonderful cattle feeding conditions”. (agriculture.com)
Improving drought conditions leave some ranchers considering expanding herds. (NebraskaPublicMedia.org)
Low water in stock ponds and limited water for livestock and/or irrigation. (weather.gov/MBRFC)

Fire Hazard Impacts
As of 3/31/25, Douglas County, NE has lifted its burn ban based on improved conditions. 
Iowa has lifted its burn bans (Iowa State Fire Marshal) 

Other Impacts
A new NIDIS-funded study examined the impact of severe drought on respiratory mortality in Iowa. (iopScience.iop.org)

Mitigation Actions
As of 3/31/25, Shenandoah, IA remains in stage 4 water restrictions. (KMALand.com)

Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
While drought conditions have generally improved across the area, streamflow has deteriorated when compared to seasonal norms, especially in the southern half of the area where precip has fallen shy of norms.


Agricultural Impacts
In a reversal of fortunes, it’s now the southern half of the area that has begun to dry out. 

While not dire, soil moisture content is falling behind seasonal norms in areas south of I-80.  
Rapid Onset Drought Outlook

Rapid onset of drought conditions are not expected.


Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Improvements to the drought monitor have been welcomed over the past 12 weeks. 

In fact, there are no locations in the OAX CWA that are worse off than they were at the beginning of the year. 

The 3-month drought outlook calls for drought to remain through at least June for most of the Northern Plains with some development forecast for south-central Nebraska.

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

Phone: (402) 359-5166

Acknowledgments: 
National Weather Service Omaha:  weather.gov/Omaha 
Climate Prediction Center Drought: cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Drought/
US Drought Monitor: droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ 
National Drought Mitigation Center: https://drought.unl.edu/ 
National Water Dashboard: dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/
National Integrated Drought Information System:  drought.gov
Current Drought Conditions: drought.gov/current-conditions 
Past Drought: drought.gov/historical-information 
USGS Water Watch:  waterwatch.usgs.gov
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): usace.army.mil
High Plains Regional Climate Center (HRPCC): hprcc.unl.edu