Drought in Nebraska, May 1 to 31, 2022

Name: Drought in Nebraska, May 1 to 31, 2022
Start: 2022-05-01T00:00
End: 2022-05-31T23:59
Location: Nebraska

May 1 to 31, 2022 · NWS LBF · 25 events in 24 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 25 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 25

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LBF wrote it up.

With the exception of southwestern Nebraska, drought conditions improved somewhat across western and north central Nebraska in May. A large portion of central and portions of north central Nebraska improved from extreme (D3) drought to severe (D2) drought. Locations over far southwestern Nebraska remained in extreme (D3) drought with some expansion in drought severity noted across Chase and Hayes counties.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 11:35 PM CST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 11:35 PM CST, 25 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1235 AM CDT Sun May 1 2022

.SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday)
Issued at 252 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022

All remaining precipitation has moved out of north central
Nebraska this afternoon as the low pressure system becomes
centered over Minnesota and Wisconsin and wrap around moisture
becomes too far out of reach for central Nebraska. The tight
pressure gradient will ease this afternoon and evening as the low
moves out and high pressure begins to build in from the west. This
will lead to a decrease in strong northwesterly winds starting in
the Panhandle and moving east into north central Nebraska. Bufkit
soundings along with the HRRR and NAMNST wind gusts show a
decrease in strong wind gusts after sunset. Have decided to end
the High Wind Warning at 03Z. Otherwise, mostly quiet weather is
expected tonight with lows in the 30s. Some CAA may occur as
northwesterly flow will continue on the far west side of the low
pressure system, so used NBM 25th percentile for low temperatures
tonight.

Mild weather is on tap for Sunday as ridging develops over the Great
Plains before the next disturbance moves east across the Rockies.
Temperatures range from the upper 50s in northern Nebraska to the
upper 60s in southwest Nebraska; about normal to the south, but
below normal to the north. Low temperatures Sunday night will be in
the 30s, with the coldest temperatures along the Pine Ridge. The
weather pattern begins to change on Sunday night as the upper level
disturbance advects across the Rockies and brings the next
opportunity for precipitation. This is mainly expected to be in the
form of rain, but some areas of the Panhandle and Sandhills may
receive snowfall or a rain/snow mix. Some thunder cannot be ruled
out either on Monday, especially in southwest Nebraska where
there is more instability.

There remains a discrepancy between models for snow amounts and
location for Monday. The European Model, NAM, and NAMNST seem to set
up a deformation band and accumulating snow over the Sandhills
during the day on Monday. Soundings show sufficient lift in the
dendritic growth zone. Dynamic cooling earlier in the day might keep
temperatures cool enough for some accumulation but warmer
temperatures at the surface may be a limiting factor for
accumulating snowfall. Meanwhile, the GFS suggests snow along and
east of the Pine Ridge on Monday morning. Elevation will help
maintain cooler temperatures and snowfall. With both solutions this
will be a heavy, wet snow likely mixed with rainfall much of the
time. Snow ratios will be less than 10:1. Will continue to monitor
for location and amounts for snowfall.

.LONG TERM...(Monday Night through Saturday)
Issued at 252 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022

Precipitation will move east out of the forecast area on Monday
night as the upper low moves east out of the area. Temperatures will
be below normal on Tuesday with highs in the upper 40s to mid 50s.
That being said, the amount of snowfall that remains from the
previous system may help lower temperatures in some areas. Once
again, another upper level disturbance will move out of the Rockies
and into the Great Plains on Tuesday night into Wednesday, bringing
more opportunities for precipitation. A rain/snow mix may occur
early on Wednesday on the Pine Ridge, and thunder is possible in the
afternoon and evening. The possibility for rain and thunderstorms
appears to continue through the end of the week.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Sunday night)
Issued at 1227 AM CDT Sun May 1 2022

VFR conditions will prevail over the next 24 hours. Winds will
remain light overnight from the northwest around 5 to 10 kts.
Across north central Nebraska, including KVTN terminal, winds will
increase mid morning around 10 to 15 kts with gust up to 25 kts.
Winds will switch across all of north central and southwest
Nebraska to the east around 10 to 15 kts in the late afternoon to
early evening.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

SHORT TERM...Meltzer
LONG TERM...Meltzer
AVIATION...Gomez

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 7:17 PM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service North Platte NE
817 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-020130-
Sheridan-Eastern Cherry-Keya Paha-Boyd-Brown-Rock-Holt-Garden-
Grant-Hooker-Thomas-Blaine-Loup-Garfield-Wheeler-Arthur-McPherson-
Logan-Custer-Deuel-Keith-Perkins-Lincoln-Chase-Hayes-Frontier-
Western Cherry-
817 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022 /717 PM MDT Sat Apr 30 2022/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and
north central Nebraska.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

Snow is in the forecast Monday, mainly across the western and
central Sandhills. Although the ground is warm, a period of
accumulating snow may develop on area roadways. This snow, if it
develops, would be accompanied by low visibility.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight.

&&

Get your weather, hydrological, and climate information at
http://www.weather.gov/northplatte

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

25 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Boyd

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to Severe (D2) drought conditions by the end of May over Boyd county. For locations over far western Boyd county, conditions improved further to moderate (D1) drought conditions by the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Butte recorded 5.64 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.41 inches above the normal of 4.23 inches. At the cooperative station at Lynch, 3.82 inches of precipitation fell in May.

Drought, Holt

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Holt forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to Severe (D2) drought conditions by the end of May over most of Holt county. Drought conditions improved from extreme (D3) drought to moderate (D1) drought across far northwestern Holt county by the end of May. The cooperative observer at O'Neill reported 3.19 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.02 inches below the normal of 4.21 inches. The cooperative observer at Atkinson 3SW reported 3.07 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.24 inches below the normal of 4.31 inches.

Drought, Wheeler

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Wheeler forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.915, -98.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought conditions by the end of May over most of Wheeler county. Over portions of west central Wheeler County, drought conditions improved from extreme (D3) to moderate (D1) conditions by the end of May. The cooperative observer at Bartlett 1W reported 4.10 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.13 inches above the normal of 3.97 inches.

Drought, Garfield

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.914, -98.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought conditions by the end of May over most of Garfield county. Across far southeastern Garfield county, extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to moderate (D1) conditions by the end of May. The cooperative observer at Ericson 8WNW recorded 5.41 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.44 inches above the normal of 3.97 inches. The cooperative observer at Burwell recorded 3.11 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.93 inches below the normal of 4.04 inches.

Drought, Keya Paha

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Keya Paha forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions by the end of May over Keya Paha county. The cooperative observer at Springview recorded 2.95 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.10 inches below the normal of 4.05 inches.

Drought, Rock

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.421, -99.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought conditions over the southern third of Rock county in May. For the northern 2/3rds of Rock county, extreme (D3) drought conditions, improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions by the end of May.

Drought, Brown

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought conditions over southern Brown county in May. Over northern Brown county, extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions by the end of may. The cooperative observer at Ainsworth recorded 3.59 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.21 inches below the normal of 3.80 inches. The cooperative observer at Elsmere 9ENE reported 2.45 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.70 inches below the normal of 4.15 inches.

Drought, Loup

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Loup forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.914, -99.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought conditions over Loup county in May.

Drought, Blaine

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.913, -99.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted over all of Blaine county in May. The cooperative observer at Purdum reported 4.55 inches of precipitation in April. This was 0.28 inches above the normal of 4.27 inches.

Drought, Custer

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Custer forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.394, -99.726 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought conditions over eastern Custer county by the end of May. For the remainder of Custer county, severe (D2) drought conditions remained in place in May. The cooperative observer at Anselmo 2WSW reported 2.91 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.83 inches below the normal of 3.74 inches. At Broken Bow, 2.63 inches of precipitation fell in May. This was 1.32 inches below the normal of 3.95 inches. The cooperative observer at Callaway reported 4.07 inches of precipitation in May.

Drought, Eastern Cherry

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Eastern Cherry forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions over all of eastern Cherry county improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions in northeastern Cherry county in May. Across southeastern Cherry county severe (D2) drought conditions remained in place through May. The cooperative observer at Valentine Lakes National Wildlife Refuge reported 2.72 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.19 inches below the normal of 3.91 inches. At Valentine, 2.54 inches of precipitation fell in May. This was 0.98 inches below the normal of 3.52 inches. The cooperative observer at Kilgore 1NE reported 3.47 inches of precipitation for May.

Drought, Thomas

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Thomas forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.914, -100.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted across all of Thomas county through the end of May.

Drought, McPherson

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.568, -101.060 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions over the eastern half of McPherson county, improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions by the end of May.

Drought, Logan

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.567, -100.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions over all of Logan county improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions over the western third of Logan county by the end of May. The cooperative observer at Stapleton 5W reported 4.10 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.64 inches above the normal of 3.46 inches.

Drought, Lincoln

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.048, -100.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The month of May began with extreme (D3) drought conditions over far southeastern Lincoln county, with severe (D2) drought conditions over the remainder of the county. By the end of May, drought conditions improved with severe (D2) drought conditions over the southern third of the county and moderate (D1) drought conditions over the remainder of the county. The cooperative observer at Hershey 5SSE reported 2.77 inches of precipitation for the month. That was 0.56 inches below the normal of 3.33 inches. The cooperative observer at Wallace 2W reported 2.52 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.95 inches below the normal of 3.47 inches. At the North Platte Airport, 2.98 inches of precipitation fell in May. This was 0.37 inches below the normal of 3.35 inches. The cooperative observer at Brady reported 3.90 inches of precipitation in May.

Drought, Hayes

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hayes forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 40.525, -101.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions expanded into all of Hayes county by the end of May. The cooperative observer in Hayes Center recorded 3.69 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.13 inches above the normal of 3.56 inches.

Drought, Frontier

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Frontier forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 40.530, -100.394 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions, over all of Frontier county, improved to severe (D2) drought conditions by the end of May over the eastern third of Frontier county. The cooperative observer at Eustis 2NW reported 3.54 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.04 inches below the normal of 3.58 inches. The cooperative observer at Curtis reported 3.10 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.59 inches below the normal of 3.69 inches.

Drought, Frontier

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Frontier forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 40.530, -100.394 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hooker

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Hooker forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.916, -101.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions, over the eastern 2/3rds of the county, shrunk to northeastern portions of Hooker county by the end of May. The cooperative observer at Mullen reported 2.34 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.79 inches below the normal of 3.13 inches.

Drought, Keith

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Keith forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.199, -101.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions over the northern half of Keith county in May. The cooperative observer at Kingsley Dam reported 2.24 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.11 inches below the normal of 3.35 inches. The cooperative observer at Ogallala reported 1.58 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.64 inches of precipitation below the normal of 3.22 inches.

Drought, Perkins

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Perkins forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 40.851, -101.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought persisted over all of Perkins county in May. The cooperative observer at Madrid reported 2.15 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.39 inches below the normal of 3.54 inches.

Drought, Chase

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Chase forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 40.524, -101.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted over the western 2/3rds of Chase county through the end of May. Drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions over the eastern third of Chase county by the end of May. At the Imperial Airport, 2.72 inches of precipitation was reported. This was 0.20 inches below the normal of 2.92 inches. The cooperative observer at Imperial reported 3.01 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.16 inches below the normal of 3.17 inches.

Drought, Sheridan

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions across far western Sheridan county improved to moderate (D1) drought conditions by the end of May. The cooperative observer at Ellsworth 2W reported 5.03 inches of precipitation for the month of May. This 2.28 inches above the normal of 2.75 inches. The cooperative observer at Gordon 6N reported 2.78 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.46 inches below the normal of 3.24 inches.

Drought, Garden

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Garden forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.619, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions continued south of the North Platte River in May over portions of Garden county. For areas north of the North Platte River, drought conditions improved from severe (D2) to moderate (D1) drought. The cooperative observer at Lisco reported 4.51 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.30 inches above the normal of 3.21 inches. The cooperative observer at Oshkosh reported 2.89 inches of precipitation in May. This was 0.13 inches below the normal of 3.02 inches. The cooperative observer at Oshkosh 8SW reported 3.48 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.34 inches above the normal of 3.14 inches.

Drought, Deuel

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.112, -102.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted across all of Deuel county through the end of May. The cooperative observer at Chappell reported 2.85 inches of precipitation for May.

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, May 2022

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1021547, 1021551, 1021557, 1021561, 1021563, 1021564, 1021565, 1026624, 1026627, 1026655, 1026686, 1026689, 1026692, 1026713, 1026723, 1026751, 1026779, 1026780, 1026690, 1026716, 1026717, 1026727, 1026785, 1026808, 1026818.