Nebraska

The western US is in a significant ‘snow drought’: what it means for neighbors in Nebraska and Iowa

Published

4 months ago

February 8, 2026

The western US is in a significant ‘snow drought’: what it means for neighbors in Nebraska and Iowa

You may not be surprised, but winter in Nebraska and Iowa has been dry…again.

On average, we see about 16″ of snow up to early February. This winter, Omaha has received 6.5″. Not as bad as last year, but nowhere near our seasonal average. We are in a ‘snow drought’, but we are not alone.

The hotspots for snow this year have been to our east and south, leaving much of the western US high and dry. In fact, the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana are experiencing some of the driest winters on record.

Why is this? Ridging in the atmosphere has kept winter storms away from the west and favored the east. Likewise, a series of rainstorms in early January melted much of the snowpack, which means less to melt come spring.

You can see this in these two images. The first shows the “snow water equivalent (SWE)” over the west, which is the water content in the snowpack. The numbers are in %. Anything below 100% is below average, anything above 100% is above average. This time last year, much of the West was seeing above-average snowpacks.

USDA

2025 Snow Water Equivalent numbers over the western United States.

This year, nearly every station is well below average.

2026 SWE in West.png — 2026 Snow Water Equivalent map for the western United States

This is shown in the satellite imagery of the western US snowpack. Last year, the snowpack was quite healthy.

2025 Satellite Image.jpg — Satellite image from 2025 depicting a healthy snowpack over the western US (NOTE: Some of the white is due to cloud cover)

This year, it’s a much different story, with only the tallest mountains having any snow.

2026 Satellite Image.jpg — Satellite image from 2026 depicting a barren snowpack over the western US (NOTE: Some of the white is due to cloud cover)

So, what does this mean for Nebraska and Iowa? In the short-term, disappointed skiiers, sledders, and kids, alongside happy drivers.

However, in the long term, the lack of moisture out west could be a serious concern.

Take the Platte River in Nebraska. The Platte gets a lot of its water from snow runoff in Colorado and Wyoming. If those states see little snow, there is less water that flows into the river. Since the reservoirs in Nebraska are already low, this could create some water issues come the summer.

Likewise, runoff into the Missouri River will be lower, with the Army Corps of Engineers predicting a lower runoff in 2026. This could impact river levels, which widens into impacted river travel & recreational activities.

While this sounds doom and gloom now, it’s only early February. We are just entering the snowiest time of the season for many of these places. All we need is a pattern change, and the snow issues out west could go away. Time will tell.

Source link

Click to comment

Nebraska

Miss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies

Published

6 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Miss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) -The Miss Nebraska festivities kicked off tonight at Venue 304 with opening ceremonies.

The week-long event began with a ceremony to give the delegates a chance to introduce themselves to the community before official competition begins.

Each contestant was joined alongside a young girl, where they had the opportunity to be given a crown and sash by a Miss Nebraska member.

Officials say the event is about inspiring young women across the state.

“What it does is it helps them really build that stage presence confidence, and it really allows them to see kind of what we’re all about. We’re more than crowns; we’re more than sashes, but really about building confidence in young women. And they get to see that, and they leave with that confidence after their week-long journey with their candidate,” said Audri Pelton-Johnson, co-director of Miss Nebraska.

The first night of official competition begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Click here to subscribe to our KNOP News 2 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Source link

Nebraska

Three-Time Nebraska State Champion Eje Kim Sends Commitment to Yale for 2027

Published

17 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Three-Time Nebraska State Champion Eje Kim Sends Commitment to Yale for 2027

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Three-time Nebraska High School State champion Eje Kim has announced his verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University as a part of the Bulldogs 2027 recruiting class.

Kim wrote the following about his commitment.

I’m extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University! I want to thank my coaches, Pat, Miranda, Gaby, Randy, Katie, Uriah, and Emma for creating my love for swimming and pushing me to the limits. I also want to thank the Yale coaching staff, Jim, Kyle, Joey, and Dana for giving me this amazing opportunity. Thank you to my teammates, Mason, Mason, Ryan, Quinn, Bennett, and Nolan for making practice fun and becoming such good friends. Lastly, thank you to my parents. GO BULLDOGS! 🐶💙

Kim hails from Lincoln, Neb., where he represents Club Husker and Lincoln East High School. As a junior, Kim secured a pair of Nebraska State championship titles, winning both the 100 backstroke in 48.32 and the 100 fly in 47.95. As a sophomore, he claimed his first state championship title in the 100 back, clocking 49.73.

A few weeks after those championships, he raced at the Speedo Sectionals in Columbia, where he won the 50 fly in 21.63, and set a plethora of lifetime bests in the process, including the 50 free (21.22), 100 back (47.83), 200 back (1:44.17), and the 100 fly (47.81).

Best Times SCY:

100 Back: 47.83
200 Back: 1:44.17
100 Fly: 47.81
50 Free: 21.22
100 Free: 46.44
200 Free: 1:40.60
200 IM: 1:52.82

Kim is set to join a Yale men’s program that finished just under 200 points behind Ivy League Champions Princeton at the 2026 Men’s Ivy League Championships.

Based on Kim’s best times, he would have finished tied for 11th in the 200 back, 14th in the 100 back, and 20th in the 100 fly.

Kim’s immediate scoring ability is a major upside, and in the highly competitive Ivy League, Yale could use all of the points they can get to creep up to the top of the Ivy League.

With another year until he makes his collegiate debut, Kim still has plenty of time to build up his base times and make an even more significant impact on the Ivy League stage from year one.

Yale was productive in all of Kim’s events at the 2026 Ivy League Championships, including 51 points in the 100 back, 55 points in the 100 fly, and another 74 in the 200 back.

Kim joins Fin McLane, Charles Knoepp, Evan Pan-Wang, and Edward Zhang in Yale’s 2027 recruiting class.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster

^{FFT is a SwimSwam partner.}

Source link

Nebraska

Free summer meals available for Nebraska children

Published

1 day ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Free summer meals available for Nebraska children

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) — Children across Nebraska can get free meals during the summer months through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.

The Olinger family is one of many families getting free meals while school is out. Mikayla Olinger said the program helps save money on groceries.

“It helps a lot,” Olinger said. “Oh yes, especially with the three boys and now my daughter is starting to eat big food.”

Oscar Garcia, director of food service at West Lawn Elementary, said the community struggles with food insecurity.

“Some kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from, that’s why it’s important we meet the need in our community,” Garcia said.

The program also provides a place for children to learn new skills. One parent said it teaches children how to use a cafeteria so they are prepared when they go for the first time.

“The bonus to that is that sometimes they may run into their classmates they haven’t seen in a couple of months,” Garcia said.

Another parent said the program keeps children active.

Garcia said he has a goal for 16,000 meals to be served this year. Meals are available for any child whether they are in the school district or not.