http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

We finally received some badly needed moisture last night and it was a stark reminder of just how bad the conditions are as we have came to expect for it to never rain. Current estimates are that 60 to 80 percent of native grass vegetation has died or is severely degraded. Many trees have not put on a leaf as of the 20th of May and only small weeds are growing in the ditches in most locations. Cropland has been sitting idle and blowing dust is common across all land uses. USFS sent out letters telling permitees that they will not be allowed to graze until something changes and any capital improvements that were scheduled have been postponed in an effort to keep any disturbance off of the land. There does appear to be hope as many folks farther north have been getting rain and a sense of relief is starting to at least be considered as we have made it out of another open winter with little in the way of beneficial moisture. CoCoRaHS Report from Station #Springfield 0.5 NW on 5/21/2013