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Pawnee County, NE

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Pawnee County, Nebraska. This page still has drought, programs and weather for the county when those are loaded.

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Not listedFSA 2026 list Burn ban Checkcall the county Salina 5-wt steers $404▲ $16 since last sale

Pawnee County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Pawnee County, NE showed no drought. Rain has run 127% of normal over the last 30 days (above normal); the best rain chance this week is 61% on Friday (high 66°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (60% chance of above-normal rain). Pawnee County is not on FSA's 2026 LFP list yet, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Salina, 117 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 127% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days not read yet

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 15, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 20–24) Leans wetter than normal (60% chance of above-normal rain)
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain)

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 14, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Sunny, high 52°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 5–6 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 55°, low 40°, 0% rain, wind 5–12 mph
  3. Tuesday Mostly Sunny, high 58°, low 46°, 0% rain, wind 9–16 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 63°, low 45°, 18% rain, wind 5–21 mph
  5. Thursday Sunny, high 61°, low 49°, 19% rain, wind 2–8 mph
  6. Friday Chance Rain Showers, high 66°, low 52°, 61% rain, wind 9–17 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Rain Showers then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 57°, low 34°, 34% rain, wind 5–14 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

PRF pasture insurance: sign up by Dec 1, 2026

The 2027 Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance sales closing date for Pawnee County is Dec 1, 2026, 16 days from today. PRF (Rainfall Index) pays on a rainfall index for your grid, not on your own rain gauge. You buy it through a crop insurance agent.

How PRF works · PRF 2027 sign-up · Find your grid on RMA's PRF tool

Date from USDA RMA's actuarial data, read Aug 28, 2026 · RMA dates map. Your agent confirms the date for your policy.

Pawnee County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Pawnee County grew about 2,598 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 103% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,525 pounds per acre. That was the 14th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2001 at 2,887 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,178.

Pounds per acre of new grass and forbs each year on rangeland and pasture, from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (satellite-based estimates). See every year on the Land tab.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Pawnee County right now. A 30-day window opens when the county first hits severe drought (D2), jumps to D3 or D4, or after a blizzard, extreme heat or cold, flood or ice warning, a wildfire, or a USDA disaster designation. Keep a Drought Ledger.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

A county next to Pawnee County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (Gage County, NE). The IRS counts your county plus every county touching it.

Why it matters: if you sold breeding, dairy or draft livestock because of drought, the tax code may let you put off the gain (more time to buy replacement animals, or report the extra-sale income a year later). Your tax preparer decides whether either applies.

Work out your numbers and print a page for your preparer

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask your tax preparer. FSA decides program eligibility. IRS Notice 2026-54 (PDF)

Next 7 days · National Weather Service

Weather for Pawnee County

Forecast for the center point of Pawnee County.

    1. Today Sunny 52° 34° SSE 5–6 mph 0% rain
    2. Mon Sunny 55° 40° S 5–12 mph 0% rain
    3. Tue Mostly Sunny 58° 46° S 9–16 mph 0% rain
    4. Wed Sunny 63° 45° SSW 5–21 mph 18% rain
    5. Thu Sunny 61° 49° SSW 2–8 mph 19% rain
    6. Fri Chance Rain Showers 66° 52° S 9–17 mph 61% rain
    7. Sat Chance Rain Showers then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 57° 34° W 5–14 mph 34% rain

    Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind arrows point where the wind is going; the letters say where it comes from. Windy = 25 mph or more; freeze = a low of 32°F or less. Open the full forecast.

    Burn ban

    Data pending. Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Nebraska; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices

    No official ban list to check here, so Cownty shows the National Weather Service fire-weather alerts for the county instead: none right now.

    Guide: Burn bans: where to check and what they mean

    Weather warnings right now

    None right now

    National Weather Service active alerts for this county, as of Nov 15, 2026 (source). Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

    Rainfall vs normal

    Oct 2026
    2.92 in 113% of normal
    Last 12 months
    36.78 in 112%
    How to read this

    Bars are the rain that fell each month; the dashed line is a normal month (1991-2020 average). Bars below the line = drier than normal.

    County-average precipitation, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. Normal = NCEI's own 1991-2020 average for each month (Oct 2026 normal 2.59 in; same month last year 2.94 in). NCEI posts each month around the 8th of the next and may revise recent months. Source: NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance. Fetched Nov 14, 2026.

    Wildfires

    No current fire perimeter in the county

    No current perimeter within 100 mi of the county center (48 mapped nationally).

    See the fire map

    Interagency fire outlines. Small or brand-new fires are often not mapped yet; call 911 for a fire you can see. Layer updated Nov 15, 2026. Source: National Interagency Fire Center. Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

    Frost dates

    Frost and freeze dates

    30-year averages (1991–2020) from the weather stations nearest Pawnee County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

    Pawnee City weather station (5 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    173-day growing season
    		 Apr 22
    1 year in 10 it's after May 7
    		 Oct 15
    1 year in 10 it's before Sep 29
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    194-day growing season
    		 Apr 12
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 27
    		 Oct 24
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 7

    Tecumseh 1s weather station (15 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    164-day growing season
    		 Apr 26
    1 year in 10 it's after May 11
    		 Oct 10
    1 year in 10 it's before Sep 25
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    183-day growing season
    		 Apr 16
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 30
    		 Oct 20
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 3

    Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Pawnee City, Tecumseh 1s), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

    Text me Pawnee County changes

    Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

    1. Farmers and Ranchers Livestock (feeder cattle) Salina, KS 117 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
    2. West Point Livestock (feeder cattle) West Point, NE 120 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 2, 2026
    3. Dunlap Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Dunlap, IA 123 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 6, 2026
    4. Lamoni Livestock Auction Market (feeder cattle) Lamoni, IA 126 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 5, 2026
    5. Denison Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Denison, IA 138 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026

    Miles are straight-line from the county center. Sale days come from the barns' recent USDA AMS reports; call the barn to confirm. All barns

    Other barns nearby (not USDA-reported)

    These barns are not in a USDA AMS report, so Cownty shows no prices for them. Sale days and phones come from the barns' own sites or public listings; call the barn to confirm. More barns

    Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Hay prices in Nebraska

    Common questions and nearby counties

    Is Pawnee County eligible for LFP in 2026?

    Not on FSA's 2026 LFP county list as of Nov 5, 2026. FSA updates the list as drought changes.

    Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

    What is the drought level in Pawnee County this week?

    On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Pawnee County was in no drought, and the worst part was no drought on 0% of the county. 0 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

    Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Nov 10, 2026

    Is there a burn ban in Pawnee County?

    No official statewide list to check: Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Nebraska; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices.

    What sale barns are near Pawnee County?

    The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Salina (117 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; West Point (120 mi), last report Nov 2, 2026; Dunlap IA (123 mi), last report Nov 6, 2026.

    Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

    What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

    Next: Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 2027: last day to buy crop insurance; Nov 20, 2026: Whole Farm Revenue Protection 2027: last day to buy crop insurance. FSA program dates not posted officially are marked "confirm at source" on the calendar.

    Source: official agency pages (see Calendar)

    Information only; not financial or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Always check the linked official source.