LINCOLN – Officials with the United States Drought Monitor said Thursday that Cass County has stayed out of drought conditions that have expanded across much of Nebraska.
The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 74.40 percent of Nebraska is experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
Thursday’s report listed 24.84 percent of the state in the “moderate drought” category.
Cass County was included in the 25.60 percent of Nebraska land that was not experiencing any type of drought levels.
A small sliver of eastern Douglas County was listed in the “abnormally dry” category, but the remainder of the area around Cass County was also free of drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor places land in six stages of health: free of drought, abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought.
The amount of land in the abnormally dry category rose to 22.72 percent on June 20 and went to 67.96 percent one week later.
It is now at 74.40 percent.
U.S. Drought Monitor officials said residents of North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana are experiencing more dire conditions.
More than 45 percent of North Dakota is listed as being in either extreme or exceptional drought.