Event narrative (NOAA)
Severe drought conditions (D2), which began in the month of June, intensified to extreme drought conditions (D3) by the end of the month. Precipitation for July totaled 0.08 inches for Valentine, which was 2nd driest on record and represents a departure form normal precipitation of below 3 inches. Lightning ignited a range fire that consumed around 6,000 acres of range land from July 20th through the 30th. Pastures make up about 88 percent of farm use in Cherry County (2007 Census USDA), where conditions by the end of July were rated 69% poor or very poor. Range land provided limited grazing capacity. On July 23rd all counties in Nebraska were approved for CRP Emergency Haying and Grazing. The drought continued into August.
Other notable drought events in Nebraska
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.