Drought Information Statement for Eastern NE and Southwest IA Valid December 2, 2023 Issued By: NWS Omaha/Valley, NE Contact Information: nws.omaha@noaa.gov This product will be updated January 1st, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://weather.gov/oax/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought conditions deteriorated across far southeast Nebraska and western Iowa over the month of November. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): Portions of Butler and Seward. D3 (Extreme Drought): Boone, Platte, Colfax, Butler, Saunders, Seward, Lancaster, Saline, Jefferson, and Dodge counties in eastern NE. D2 (Severe Drought): Thurston, Wayne, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Boone, Colfax, Dodge, Washington, Saunders, Dodge, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Seward, Lancaster, Cass, Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties in Eastern NE. Monona, Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Mills and Montgomery in southwest IA. D1 (Moderate Drought): Small portions of northeast NE, western Iowa, and the majority of southwest Iowa and southeast Nebraska. D0 (Abnormally Dry): Portions of northeast NE and southeast NE. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: None No Change: The entire area. Drought Improved: None Drought category adjustments tend to slow in the fall and winter months. Changes are more pronounced on longer timelines. Over the Past 30 Days Precipitation Precipitation across the local region over the previous 30 days has been below normal with northeastern Nebraska and the entire state of Iowa being especially dry. Over the Past 30 Days Temperature Temperatures across the local region have been generally 1-3 degrees above normal over the previous 30 days. This trend has held true for most of 2023. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Streamflow observations have improved. Although far northeast Nebraska has enjoyed a wet 2023, precipitation deficits for the year are running 4-10” below normal for the remainder of the area. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture remains low in areas south and east of the Omaha metropolitan area. Fire Hazard Impacts All counties in the area are considered to now have “critical” fuel status. The majority of fuels will support extreme fire behavior and spread when the weather conditions meet Red Flag criteria. Other Impacts Hundreds of dead deer have been spotted in Southern Iowa over the last month. Experts say the cause is Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD. Conventional wisdom holds that the disease gets more prevalent in years with a drought or a flood Mitigation Actions In October, Shenandoah, IA enacted water restrictions for the first time in 23 years. Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Streamflow reflects where the precipitation has been falling over the past 30 days. Much of northeast Nebraska is flowing normal or above normal. Much of southeast Nebraska and parts of southwest Iowa are below normal. Image Captions: Left USGS 7 day average streamflow NE HUC map Right USGS 7 day average streamflow IA HUC map Both valid December 1, 2023 Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture has improved dramatically in northeast Nebraska. Soil moisture continues to run below normal for the remainder of the area. The crop moisture index is running Near Normal. Fire Hazard Impacts All counties in the local area are considered to now have “critical” fuel status. The majority of fuels (dried corn in many cases) will support extreme fire behavior and spread when the weather conditions meet Red Flag criteria. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast There are small precipitation chances in the forecast in the next 7 days. Amounts are forecast to remain below 0.10”. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Rapid onset of drought conditions are not expected. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The seasonal outlook for October leans toward a wetter than normal October. Temperatures have equal chances of near, above or below normal values by the time the month wraps up. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Winter is the typically the driest season of the year in the Corn Belt. Drought category changes typically slow as a result. The seasonal 3 month drought outlook calls for drought to persist across much of the region. Much of central Kansas has a chance for improving drought conditions over the course of December, January, and February.