Three indices for designating drought are examined and their comparative performance in depicting periods of different drought intensities is discussed. These indices are the rainfall anomaly index (RAI), Bhalme and Mooley drought index (BMDI) and the Palmer drought index (PDI). Using data from Nebraska state as an example, the three indices all appear to be effective in detecting drought periods. The results of the analysis suggest that precipitation is the most important climatic element as an input into meteorological drought. It can, therefore, be concluded that for meteorological purposes, and when undertaking single-station analysis, simple indices with rainfall as the only input perform comparatively as well as the more complicated indices in depicting periods and intensity of drought.
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