Drought in Nebraska, November 1 to 22, 1999

A drought, which began in early September, ended, at least temporarily, for much of eastern Nebraska on November 22nd when .5 to 1.5 inches of precipitation fell. For many locations, this was the first significant rain of over a quarter of an since September 4th. The droughts effect was especially felt during the first 3 weeks of November after numerous grass fires prompted many towns and villages to ban any type of outdoor burning. Among the largest fires reported were; 180-200 acres of grassland and timber near Indian Cave State Park near Falls City, 300 acres of prairie grass east of Wymore, 100 acres of prairie grass near Hickman, 100 acres of a harvested corn field south of Elkhorn, 60 acres of grass north of Omaha and 40 to 50 acres of grassland near Ashland. The most costly reported was when smoldering leaves ignited dry grass near Woodcliff, south of Fremont, eventually spreading to two homes and causing 55 thousand dollars worth of damage. Damage amounts do not include costs to indivdual fire departments for fire containment.