Humidity in Nebraska (Omaha, Grand Island, Kearney: how much, gated, live)

[Chris19]

I have gone through Nebraska many times and find it interesting to notice the change in humidity going from east to west and this is the same for South Dakota. I can really notice the change going from Grand Island to North Platte on the 135 mile stretch. Grand Island to me is similar in humidity to Sioux Falls and Omaha, but North Platte has drier air and resembles more of the air out in Rapid City and Denver (which has a little drier air than North Platte). To me Lexington is borderline and I notice that it is a little drier air than Grand Island.

My question is where you think that the air gets dry? I was wondering if it would be Lexington, Kearney, or North Platte or any other ideas of where. My guess is that is gradual and subtle as one goes along I-80. Thinking of my trip to Colorado, this thought came to mind. I am curious to see what others think of the humidity transition from east to west in Nebraska.

[tpabes]

I heard people say the 100th meridan is where the air gets dry, which would mean Cozad, Nebraska which is just west of Lexington. Of course there is no defined line. North Platte is probably more humid than say Scottsbluff or Sidney. Irrigation season also contributes to the humidity in Nebraska, out west you have less irrigation than central and eastern Nebraska.

I have also heard people say the 100th meridan is where the west begins, and I have also heard where the prarie grass switches to sagebrush is where the west begins.

[Gretchen B]

I've lived in Ogallala, North Platte, and Lexington. Of the three, Lexington was definitely the most humid and Ogalalla was the driest. There's a subtle change around Sutherland and another around Gothenburg/Cozad. From about there east it's pretty humid. When you're in "wheat country" it's pretty dry, but once you're in "corn country" it's more humid.

[Chris19]

Gretchen, that makes perfect sense. The perspiration of the corn contributes to the humidity and this is noticed in South Dakota. Areas with a lot of corn are generally more humid than those that are with wheat or rangeland. Then again, corn is grown in areas where there is more water or easy access to water due to it being a crop that requires more water than other crops such as wheat. It seems like Lexington and on east appears green and lush and oftentimes has bugs. It seem like the car starts getting littered with bug guts when it head east on I-80 east of Lexington (West of there, it is generally not an issue). West of Lexington, it seems like the grass is browner and less trees along the Platte and less bugs. I know that North Platte's air feels drier and crisper than Lexington and especially Grand Island. It is interesting to see the subtle changes in Nebraska and other places when passing through.

[ehenningsen]

A lot of it too has to do with the southerlies...

It's interesting how you noted around GI as a point of transition, because west of GI it starts to demand a bit more of a SE directed wind than say east of GI where a straight south wind will bring up humidity.

In Scottsbluff, it takes quite a SE breeze to get its humidity up.

If you remember a couple of other threads about rainfall varying quite a bit, and tornados in GI?

I'm thinking that GI probably sees a hefty amount of 'dry squalls or dry lines' and the rainfall amount has to do with how much moisture makes it up to these places in nebraska from the gulf

[GraniteStater]

How widespread is irrigation in Nebraska? I know in Kansas it is a fairly big issue in the western areas of the state because of the depleting Ogallala Aquifer. In those rural counties a lot of corn is grown via irrigation near the commercial ag centers of Dodge City and Garden City. You have a lot of packing plants etc out there.

[Chris19]

I know that Nebraska uses quite a bit of irrigation. One would notice it easily crossing from South Dakota into Nebraska. South Dakota does not have as sandy of soil and it retains moisture better when it gets it. Many areas of South Dakota have a clay-based soil with areas of sandy soil and rocky soil. My area in southeastern SD is a clay soil and water ponds up when there is a lot of rain. Nebraska has sandy soil and more irrigators in the fields. South Dakota does not use as much due to not having the Ogallala Aquifer (which caution should be used to perserve and manage its use-so it does not get depleted and put everyone in a pickle).

I agree with the Grand Island area being borderline, but would allign Grand Island along with the likes of York, Norfolk, Omaha, Sioux Falls, SD and Sioux City, IA for humidity as opposed to North Platte, Goodland, KS, Rapid City, SD, Pierre, SD, and Scottsbluff. I would liken Grand Island and Kearney with Mitchell, SD, due to areas west getting drier and east more humid. They are on the edge of fertile, prime Midwestern farm ground that is common in the corn belt.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Plains10

How widespread is irrigation in Nebraska? I know in Kansas it is a fairly big issue in the western areas of the state because of the depleting Ogallala Aquifer. In those rural counties a lot of corn is grown via irrigation near the commercial ag centers of Dodge City and Garden City. You have a lot of packing plants etc out there.

Irrigation is a pretty big issue in western Nebr. I'm not sure what the latest status is, but at one point (a year or two ago) there was going to be a moritorium on putting in any additional pivot sprinklers, so there was a big push to get one setup if you didn't already have one. You could go ahead and replace an existing one, but not put in a new one.

[NebSwede]

According to a 2005 report from the U. of Nebraska ( http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/vi...con_cornhusker ), the state is second in the nation in the amount of irrigated acres, behind California.

Back to where dry air (and the West) begins: I'd say around Elm Creek, if I had to choose a specific spot, although the change is gradual. The air there is a huge relief in mid-July after coming from the comparative tropics of extreme s.e. Nebraska, which is my native area.

[tpabes]

I know in the central district, there is still a limit on how much you can irrigate because of the status of the lakes. They are getting better though. Farmers along the Republican river are being paid not to irrigate because of the water troubles with Kansas.

Along with the aquifer, Nebraska has many rivers and streams that contribute to irrigation. Corn is also a water thirsty crop, so that also contributes to the amount of irrigation.