Drought parches Nebraska

From Omaha to Henry, Valentine to McCook, data show Nebraska drought rates are rising
After years of adequate moisture, Dawes County has hit levels of severe drought and based on current predictions will reach extreme levels by the end of the year.  

   “I have been with Chadron State since 2013 and this is the first really dry year we have had since I’ve been here,” Anthony Perlinski said. “We have really had a good run of wet years or even just average years. There were places in Nebraska last year that were 150% of average.” 

   Fire danger in the western United States continues to rise with increased drought severity. Dawes County has an increased fire danger, especially on dry grasslands with limited irrigation. Despite drought being a natural part of the ecosystem, it can cause lasting effects on grassland soils.     

  “As much as we have to acknowledge living in a fire prone ecosystem,” Perlinski said. “We have to acknowledge that the ecosystem we live in is drought prone.” 

 The severity of the drought can be seen in the grasslands near the Rangeland Complex and the cross-country trails on campus. 

The grasslands are brown and dry due to the lack of moisture. The native rangelands struggle in drought more than their invasive drought resistant competitors.   

  “If we do have a fall moisture unfortunately what we are going to see greening up is the cheatgrass underneath,” Perlinski said. “It’s a winter annual that is really good at taking advantage of that and native plants are going to struggle a little bit.” 

 Even after seeing recent moisture the drought severity is not predicted to decrease. According to the National Drought Monitor, Dawes county has low levels of predicted future moisture. 

Fall green up is the term used to describe increased moisture at the beginning of fall that increases green plant growth. Current moisture predictions show that there will not be enough moisture for a fall green up this year. 

  Hot temperatures have increased evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiraton (ET) describes water evaporated from water sources and transpiration from plants. Increased ET increases drought severity and decreases water availability to plants, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Nebraska’s current ET has been rising leading Nebraska to have increased soil temperature and decreased plant growth.  

The NOAA ranked states based on their average precipitation in August compared to August 2020 precipitation, Nebraska ranked in the top 20 states with lowest precipitation. Low levels of precipitation have played a large role in the increase in drought severity.  

 Patterns of climate change show that the drought could be a multi-year event. Short-term climate change shows the current pattern for Dawes County being several years of wet weather followed by several years of dry weather.  

 “We have potential to be setting this up for multiple years of dry, that’s kind of the way models are predicting,” Perlinski said. “As far as models can predict, we have a model of two wet periods followed by a dry period.” 

For rangeland students the drought brings the opportunity to learn how to manage native grasslands or farming practices with less water and less plant growth. Land mangers throughout the state will have to make changes to prepare for an extended drought period.  

“It is worth noting that this is normal,” Perlinski said. “but as land managers we have to take steps to address it.”