Drought Information
U.S. Drought Monitor
U.S. Drought Monitor
The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday showing where drought is and how bad it is across the U.S. and its territories.
Current drought conditions for the lower elkhorn natural resources district area.
Drought Management Plan
Drought Articles and Press Releases
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July 25, 2023
Last year, we saw the driest year on record for Norfolk. The National Weather Service’s Karl Stefan Memorial Airport station recorded a total of 13.72” of precipitation for the year – a deviation of 13.74” from normal. While we’ve recently been fortunate to have received some precipitation, the area is still well below average. Much of northeast Nebraska is still designated as D4 (Exceptional) or D3 (Extreme) on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
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June 23, 2023
Last year, in a proactive measure and in response to the acute drought that took a commanding grip in Northeast Nebraska, the LENRD (Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District) implemented restrictions on wells pumping over 50 gallons per minute, until the drought decreases in intensity.
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May 01, 2023
2022 was the driest year on record for a large portion of the Lower Elkhorn NRD, and increased demand for groundwater use from all sectors took an expected toll on groundwater inventories. In a proactive measure and in response to the acute drought that took a commanding grip in northeast Nebraska, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) implemented restrictions on wells, pumping over 50 gallons per minute, until the drought decreases its intensity.
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November 02, 2022
The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) drew a crowd for their October board meeting to hear discussions about possible groundwater use restrictions for next year. Because the district continues to be in a D3 & D4 drought, as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor, the board must make decisions by November 1st about any limited use of water for the following year, according to the LENRD’s drought management plan.
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October 03, 2022
As dry conditions continue, it not only affects this year’s crop, but could impact next year’s as well, leaving aquifers deeply impacted. At their September board meeting, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) voted to formally declare a drought across their 15-county district.
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September 15, 2022
The impacts of the drought are becoming even more serious for the citizens of northeast Nebraska as the dry conditions continue to escalate. The attached map shows the comparison across the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) over the last few weeks, with most of the district moving from an extreme drought to an exceptional drought (D4) designation.
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August 24, 2022
By: Brian Bruckner, LENRD Assistant ManagerDrought is an insidious, slow-onset natural hazard that produces a complex web of impacts that ripple through many sectors of the economy, and unfortunately, we are witnessing many of the negative impacts right in our own backyard. The unrelenting heat and lack of precipitation are withering crops and pastures, causing heat stress for livestock and humans alike, and causing many communities to enforce watering restrictions to force conservation of groundwater. The spike in demand from all groundwater users is also taking its toll, with many well owners reporting a decline in the performance of their well, causing many to lower their pumps deeper into the well casing if they have the option. A seasonal decline in static water levels is typical with the onset of irrigation season, but conditions this summer tend to parallel those created during the acute drought that occurred in 2012. Many observation wells in the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) suffered record declines in depths to groundwater after that event, and many are curious to compare impacts to groundwater supplies once monitoring data has been collected following the 2022 pumping season.
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July 29, 2022
As the drought continues to intensify across the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD), some landowners are experiencing fluctuations in their well pressure.
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May 06, 2022
It wasn’t that long ago when drought conditions plagued this area and caused water conflicts to arise. As the current drought intensifies, we could find ourselves back in some of those same situations. The total precipitation for the Norfolk area shows that the last few months have been the driest on record since 1910.