August 15, 2002
Severe Drought Drains the Platte River until its Dry

All imagesĀ© 2002 Ken Dewey, High Plains Regional Climate Center

Photographed from the north side of  the I-80 Bridge just east of Grand Island.  The entire river bed is covered with dry sand and grasses.  There was no visible water.  The next photograph to the right was taken 400 yards to the south of this same bridge. Photographed from the middle of what is normally a flowing river at the I-80 Bridge just east of Grand Island.  The entire river bed is covered with dry sand and grasses.  There was no visible water along the river bed for several miles.
Photographed 400 yards south of the bridge shown in the first two photos and looking southwest toward Hwy. 281. Photographed 10 yards north of the I-80 bridge shown in the first two photos and looking northeast.  There was no evidence of any water.
Photographed along Nebraska Hwy. 281, 1 mile south of Interstate 80 and looking south. This channel of the Platte river is totally dry.  The photo to the right was taken looking up this channel to the west. Photographed from Nebraska Hwy. 281, and looking west up this channel of the Platte river.  A small amount of pooled water is visible having run off from a nearby irrigated field.
Photographed just west of Grand Island, this channel which flows normally from the left to the right in this view, is also completely empty.  The Platte River in the photo to the right has water due to outflow from the Elkhorn river. Photographed just north of Mahoney State Park and looking EAST from the I-80 bridge crossing the Platte River.  The bridge railing is partially visible in the left corner of the photo.
Photographed just north of Mahoney State Park and looking WEST from the I-80 bridge crossing the Platte River.  Photographed just north of Mahoney State Park and looking WEST from the I-80 bridge crossing the Platte River.

Precipitation last 30 Days - Percent of Normal

 


Photographed August 16, 2002 in Lincoln Nebraska and using
quarters for scale, the dried, un-irrigated soil has large cracks in it
due to the prolonged period of drought.

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