We are not out of the woods with this drought yet but we are seeing some improvement. Much of Nebraska is now in a "extreme drought" as opposed to "exceptional drought". We had less than an inch of rain at our place from this last storm but more rain and cool weather is in the forecast.
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Farther north, long overdue widespread and heavy rains finally fell on much of north-central Plains, especially from the southwestern Nebraska northeastward into southeastern South Dakota. Most locations reported 1.5 to 3 inches of rain, and a significant number of them likely received their greatest 24-hour totals in the past 12 months. According to the Nebraska State Climatologist Al Dutcher, all soil moisture sites in this area have hit 25 percent for the 4 foot layer, and 20 percent for the top 5 five foot. By next week it will become apparent how deep the moisture made it into the profile. Based upon past experiences, it is likely that field capacity will be reached in the top 2 feet of the profile at most locations. But due to the prolonged and severe drought, there is no deep moisture, but moisture is available to support planting and early emergence. Even with the April 9 rains, 12-month deficits still stood at: 10.59 inches at North Platte; 9.31 inches at Valentine; 16.59 inches at Broken Bow; and 6.55 inches at Imperial. And it will take substantial additional moisture to improve drought conditions further.
Finding the Reasons for the 2012 Drought
But Hoerling and his colleagues found that natural swings in wind patterns and humidity over the Great Plains and the Gulf of Mexico were the major culprits in the 2012 drought.
An Unexpected Combination
A drop in the strength of the wind coming up from the Gulf of Mexico—which usually brings moisture into the Great Plains in summer—combined with unusually low humidity over the area to produce conditions drier than those of the 1930's drought.
A ridge of high pressure squatting over the northern Plains kept cold fronts in Canada from coming down into the central Plains, further stacking the deck in the drought's favor, according to the NOAA report.
Although researchers can get a sense of whether a drought will hit later in the year by looking at the most recent winter precipitation patterns, they had no warning about the 2012 drought.
In the decades leading to 2012, summers in the Great Plains were actually cool and wet, explained Hoerling. When looked at in terms of the historical record, this severe drought was a surprise, he said.
