NORFOLK, Neb. -- The city of Norfolk and surrounding areas are facing its driest year on record since the 1800s. 

On Wednesday, Norfolk city water director Chad Roberts sent a press release out, detailing the dry conditions residents are facing. He noted that its the driest Norfolk has been in 128 years.

According to the release, the National Weather Service has declared Norfolk to be in a D2 level drought. Level D2 is a severe drought that can affect pasture/crop growth, cause well levels to drop, and can cause surface water to decline. This can lead to water restrictions later as well as high water use.

However, Roberts says there is no need to start limiting water at this time. Rather, he and the city are encouraging residents to take up the voluntary sprinkler code as a way to combat the dry climate as spring arrives. The voluntary sprinkler code encourages even and odd-numbered properties to water their lawns on opposite days of the week. Properties with street addresses ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8) should limit outdoor water usage to Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. While properties with street addresses ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) should limit outdoor water usage to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

"Right now there is no big change in the use of water," Roberts said. "Basically we're looking for people to see if they want to volunteer for the code. The biggest thing is...be smart with the water. We like people using water, but make sure your sprinklers are adjusted so we're not watering the concrete...concrete don't grow."

It's not just residents that are impacted by the dry weather, as conditions have prevented many farmers from preparing for the planting season. Red flag warnings and high winds have prevented controlled burns from taking place. Norfolk fire chief Tim Wragge is urging caution in these times as the risk for an uncontrollable fire is high. 

"The biggest problem is the winds combine with the relatively low humidity," Wragge explained. "We're seeing relative humidities in the 20-30% occasionally and it just makes for a bad recipe when you add 20-40 mile an hour winds. Those things are hard to get control of if a fire gets started."

Due to these conditions, Norfolk Fire and Rescue has been unable to issue burn permits. Wragge is urging residents to be cautious during dry times and that if mother nature cooperates he hopes to issue burn permits soon.