• As of August 31 USDA reports, 90% of the state's topsoil moisture was rated "poor" to "very poor" and 65% of the state's pasture and range land was rated "poor" to "very poor".
• The drought has taken a toll on streamflow in the state. As noted by the High Plains Regional Climate Center (Kenneth F Dewey), the Platte River, which is the primary east-west river in Nebraska, was dry for the second year in a row in some areas.
• As noted by the State Climatologist (Allen L Dutcher), extremely hot and dry conditions for much of July and August resulted in significant damage to crops in both Nebraska and Kansas.
  • Corn was chopped for silage in southeastern, south central and central Nebraska.
  • Water was shut off to all irrigators in many areas.
  • Water deliveries from Harlan County Reservoir, in south central Nebraska, have been shut down ... first time in history.
  • There was zero flow on the Platte River in east central Nebraska by the end of the month. Limitations were being placed on irrigation withdraws from the Platte river downstream due to the amount of flow moving through the river.

The bottom graph to the right shows the individual summer reconstructed PDSI values for each year (gray curve) and the longer-term variations (red 20-year low pass filtered curve) for 1460-1990. The annual values (gray curve) indicate that summer droughts have been as severe during the last 600 years as the most severe 20th century droughts. Of great interest is the indication (red curve) that prolonged severe droughts have occurred in this region, specifically during the 1850s-1860s, early 1800s, and much of the period from 1460 to 1510.

Reference:

Cook, E.R., D.M. Meko, D.W. Stahle, and M.K. Cleaveland, 1999. "Drought reconstructions for the continental United States." Journal of Climate, 12:1145-1162.