Dry spells and rising water: uneven rainfall wreaks havoc
GILTNER, Neb. — Nebraska's extreme weather takes a toll on farmers as some experience flooding while others battle one of the driest spring seasons on record.
As Zach Hunnicutt checked flooding updates from family in southwest Nebraska he just picked up the first meaningful rain in a long time.
“I think it's first time we've had the creek running in about 2 years,” he said.
Normally he'd have five inches of rain in the month of May alone but he's barely had that all year.
“It's been a lot of storms, pop up showers but not a lot of good soaking rains,” he said.
“There has been a little rain but has not been consistent,” said Mike Moritz of the National Weather Service in Hastings.
Drought has worsened the farther east you go in Nebraska, flip flopping normal trends.
“Some parts of the region are seeing a top five dry May,” Moritz said. “Anytime you are messing with 1930s dry records those are pretty exceptional.”
From Grand Island and Hastings to Lincoln and Omaha, rainfall has been far below normal and those who depend on the moisture are firing up irrigation systems.
Hunnicutt said, “Drive around and looks like middle of July with number of pivots running.”
That’s far from ideal as farmers would like rain spaced out over the growing season.
“When you look at May, June, July we expect to see most of our rain and if we're already discounted one month because it's so dry it's really hard to make that up in a way that's beneficial,” Moritz said.
Moritz says those who are dry will probably remain dry. Zach Hunnicutt has experienced that doing field work.
“It’s been a dusty, dry affair,” he said.
And he's hopeful good, soaking rains will come.
