Statewide Soil Moisture Update

The past week began with hot and dry conditions statewide, which allowed for some (much-needed) drying of the soil profile at all locations. The reprieve from the abnormally wet warm season was short-lved, especially for the eastern third of the state, as significant precipitation returned on Wednesday night. Flooding was a problem yet again for parts of the Big Blue watershed and into the southern parts of the Lincoln area. 

Roundup by USDA NASS Crop District (see http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/articles/index.php?id=593 for more details)  

Northwest (district 10):  Conditions were dry for a change (this season anyway) throughout much of the Panhandle. Some precipitation is expected this week but warm temperatures later in the week could offset this. Average SMI: 3.1

North Central (district 20): A week with lower rainfall totals allowed soils to dry across the Sand Hills and SMI levels have fallen below the field capacity level at all sites except Halsey. The Arthur site is close to going below 0.0 for the first time this season and a few other sites in that region could be below 0.0 by this time next week if the forecasted precipitation doesn't pan out. Average SMI: 2.7

Northeast (district 30): Hot, dry weather early in the week was followed by 1-2 inches of precipitation in many areas, with plenty more falling early this morning, which was after the cutoff time for this report. The western portion of the district noted improvements in the SMI over the previous week, partciularly at Brunswick. Additional precipitation is expected later this week. Average SMI: 3.2

Central (district 50): Most areas saw between 1.0-1.5 inches of rain over the past week and soils remain moist. Precipitaiton is expected this week, though most locations should see a half inch or less. Average SMI: 3.2

East Central (district 60): Hot and dry early in the week, with significant precipitation Wednesday night into Thursday and then again in some places on Sunday afternoon.  More (unwelcome) rain is possible most days over the next week as well. Average SMI: 4.4

Southwest (district 70): Most places saw under a half inch of precipitation and soils dried a bit, though are still favorably moist. Precipitation is expected to be minimal across southwestern Nebraska this week with seasonably hot weather expected by week's end. Average SMI: 3.5  

South Central (district 80): The district remains the driest in the state but is still fairly moist as most places saw between half and an inch and an inch over the past week. Chances for storms exist all week, though widespread totals over an inch do not look likely. Seasonably hot weather is also expected at the end of the work week. Average SMI: 1.5

Southeast (district 90): As in the East Central district, the hot and dry weather early last week was short-lived and most places received an additional 2-3 inches of rain between Wednesday night and Sunday evening. This was not particularly welcome, especially in the Big Blue watershed where flooding has been a problem. Additonal precipitation of an inch or more over the coming week is a good possibility, so widespread drying is not likely. Average SMI: 4.6 

Disclaimer:  

** The Soil Moisture Index (SMI) is based on the estimated field capacity and wilting point at three depths (10 cm, 25 cm, 50 cm) at Automated Weather Data Network (AWDN) sites under grass cover. The index may not necessarily be representative of conditions of a nearby field, particularly if differences in total precipitation over the previous week have been significant. **