06/17/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/17/2025 08:54
Mother Nature has her eye on Antelope County this year. According to the UNL Drought Mitigation Center, 1.57% of the state suffered from extreme drought on June 3. Extreme drought conditions are characterized by major crop and pasture losses, widespread water shortages or restrictions, and extreme fire danger. The eye-catching part of the June 3 map was that the extreme conditions were almost exclusively encompassed within Antelope County (Figure 2). Weather conditions do not typically conform to political boundaries, but unfortunately for Antelope County, Mother Nature chose to single it out this year.
However, Mother Nature must have felt guilty for its treatment of Antelope County and sought to make amends with needed precipitation. Between June 3 and June 10, the intensity of the drought improved from extreme to severe. Still problematic for producers but an improvement nonetheless. Mother Nature will hopefully continue to smile kindly on Antelope County, and Nebraska too, with timely rains.
Figure 2. Nebraska Drought Monitor Map, June 3
Source: UNL Drought Mitigation Center.