LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans should expect the impact of the
drought to worsen next year if the current dry forecast for the
winter holds up. Climatologists at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln's National Drought Mitigation Center said the effects of
the drought will likely get worse in 2013 because the state's
rivers and lakes have been diminished. Nebraska, Colorado and
Wyoming are all on track to record their driest years on record
in 2012. The drought contributed to Nebraska's worst fire season
since 1919. Don Westover with the Nebraska Forest Service said
wildfires burned more than 400,000 acres and destroyed 65
structures in the state this year. Forecasters at the Climate
Prediction Center said the current drought will likely last
until at least February. And recovery from the drought will be
slow because the ground is so dry. "When we do have
precipitation, very little will go to runoff," climatologist
Brian Fuchs said. "Those soils are going to act as a big sponge.
They're just going to take in a