Drought in Nebraska, April 1 to 30, 2026

Name: Drought in Nebraska, April 1 to 30, 2026
Start: 2026-04-01T00:00
End: 2026-04-30T23:59
Location: Nebraska

April 1 to 30, 2026 · NWS LBF · 27 events in 27 counties and zones

Above normal temperatures persisted in April across western and north central Nebraska. This coupled with a continuation of well below normal precipitation, led to drought expansion across all of western and north central Nebraska in April.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 27 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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Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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.

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 Mar 31, 11:27 PM CST, 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Precipitation chances increase Wednesday into Thursday night.
Snowfall accumulation is looking less as temperatures aloft appear they will be warmer.
Increasing confidence of precipitation Friday into Saturday morning. Low confidence in precipitation amounts.
Elevated fire weather concerns return Sunday into early next week.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 11:27 PM CST, 33 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1227 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Precipitation chances increase Wednesday into Thursday night.

- Snowfall accumulation is looking less as temperatures aloft
  appear they will be warmer.

- Increasing confidence of precipitation Friday into Saturday
  morning. Low confidence in precipitation amounts.

- Elevated fire weather concerns return Sunday into early next
  week.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
Issued at 322 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026

A shortwave will be progressing through the Intermountain West
through the day Wednesday. Mid-level warm air advection will
increase across the Central Plains downstream of this wave through
the day. Scattered showers could be ongoing within this warm air
regime across portions of northwest Nebraska early Wednesday
morning. This activity will tend to increase through the day as it
develops/spreads eastward and southeastward. Highest precip.
potential during the day Tuesday will be across the Sandhills and
northern Nebraska. The system will quickly move eastward and sharpen
as it emerges into the Plains Wednesday night. The system will also
take on somewhat of a negative tilt and has trended a little farther
southward. All this is good news regarding the potential for
precipitation across western and north central Nebraska. Operational
models (ECMWF/GFS) have come into agreement that a closed
circulation at H7 should track eastward near the NE/KS border into
eastern Nebraska Wednesday night. A deformation axis of
precipitation will reside to the north of this track. Southwest
Nebraska into the Sandhills, as well as central/north central
Nebraska should be located within the axis. The probability for at
least a quarter of an inch is high, with some areas likely seeing
amounts over 3/4 of an inch by the time the precipitation ends
Thursday.

As far as snow potential, thermal profiles are looking warmer and
snowfall accumulations less. Ensemble and operational models
continue to trend down, and official amounts are now below an inch
across far northern Nebraska.

&&

.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
Issued at 322 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026

The active weather pattern will continue as another system
approaches the region Friday. A western trough will move east and
become a closed low before ejecting across region Friday afternoon
into Friday night. Precipitation chances will increase through the
day Friday as this system moves across the area, especially across
north-central Nebraska.

POPS are currently 30-80% throughout the CWA with the highest
chances across north-central Nebraska. Precipitation amounts do not
appear overly impressive at this time, with the NBM 50th percentile
showing 0.00 to 0.25 inches. The 90th percentile is somewhat more
aggressive, with amounts above 0.50 inches in some areas.
Regardless, the best chance (30-50%) for measurable precipitation
above a quarter of an inch appears to be across north-central
Nebraska, as much of the CWA may remain within the dry slot of this
system. There remains uncertainty with this forecast, as any shifts
in the track could either result in higher or lower precipitation
amounts across the area. Stay tuned for future forecast updates.

The surface low moves off to the east bringing precipitation
chances to an end, and will push a cold front through the area
Friday night, bringing gusty north winds Friday night into
Saturday morning. Highs on Friday and Saturday will range from
the lower 40s north to the upper 50s south, then warm into the
upper 50s to 60s by Sunday and Monday as upper level ridging
builds into the region.

Elevated fire weather concerns will again become an issue as warmer
temperatures return to the region particularly Sunday through early
next week. Any period where low RH and gusty winds overlap will
feature the highest concern for fire weather potential.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 1227 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026

The main aviation concern will be lowing ceilings to MVFR by
22Z, and lowing to IFR after 00Z Thursday. A weather system will
bring light rain across western Nebraska Thursday evening, with
visibilities as low as 3SM. Winds will increase to near
12015G22KT during the afternoon, then AOB 12KT after 00Z
Thursday.

&&

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

&&

SHORT TERM...Taylor
LONG TERM...Labenz
AVIATION...Roberg

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 2:48 PM CST, 9 hours 12 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service North Platte NE
348 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-012100-
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-
348 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 /248 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026/

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...Wednesday through Monday.

Accumulating wet snow is possible through Wednesday night. At this
time, accumulations up to 1 inch is possible across portions of
north central Nebraska, especially closer to the South Dakota border.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

Taylor

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

27 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Eastern Cherry

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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, deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions over east central and southeastern Cherry County by the end of April. Over northeastern portions of Cherry County, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. At the Valentine Airport, 1.78 inches of precipitation was reported in April. This was 0.70 inches below the normal of 2.48 inches. At the Valentine Lakes NWR, 0.98 inches of precipitation was reported for the month. This was 1.64 inches below the normal of 2.62 inches.

Drought, Keya Paha

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions, deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions across far eastern portions of Keya Paha County by the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Springview 2NW reported 2.26 inches of precipitation in April. This was 0.08 inches above the normal of 2.18 inches.

Drought, Brown

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions across almost all of Brown County in April. Over far northern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Ainsworth reported 1.74 inches for precipitation for April. This was 0.90 inches below the normal of 2.64 inches.

Drought, Rock

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions, deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions across the southern 3/4ths of Rock County by the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

Drought, Boyd

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions, transitioned to extreme (D3) drought conditions over most of Boyd County through the end of April. Over far eastern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

Drought, Holt

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions, persisted over far northwestern portions of Holt County through the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought in southwestern Holt County deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought by the end of the month. Extreme (D3) drought persisted over southeastern and eastern portions of the county throughout April. The cooperative observer at Atkinson 3SW reported 1.10 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.55 inches below the normal of 2.65 inches. The cooperative observer at O'Neill reported 1.28 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.64 inches below the normal of 2.92 inches.

Drought, Thomas

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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, transitioned to extreme (D3) drought conditions across all of Thomas County by the end of April.

Drought, Blaine

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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, deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions by the end of April. The cooperative observer at Purdum reported 0.84 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.87 inches below the normal of 2.71 inches.

Drought, Loup

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions across all of Loup County by the end of April.

Drought, Garfield

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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 persisted over all of Garfield County through the end of April. The cooperative observer at Burwell reported 1.37 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.68 inches below the normal of 3.05 inches. The cooperative observer at Ericson 8WNW reported 1.28 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.45 inches below the normal of 2.73 inches.

Drought, Wheeler

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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 across far southeastern Wheeler County by the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

Drought, McPherson

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted over far western portions of McPherson County through the end of April. Across the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions transitioned to extreme (D3) drought conditions by the end of April.

Drought, Logan

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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 transitioned to extreme (D3) drought conditions over the northwestern half of Logan County by the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Stapleton 5W reported 0.70 inches of precipitation for April. This was 2.08 inches below the normal of 2.78 inches.

Drought, Custer

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Over most of Custer County, severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions by the end of April. Over far eastern portions of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions, continued through the end of the month. Across northwestern portions of Custer County, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. At the Broken Bow Airport, 1.12 inches of precipitation was reported in April. This was 1.17 inches below the normal of 1.29 inches. The cooperative observer at Broken Bow 2W reported 1.43 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.09 inches below the normal of 2.52 inches. The cooperative observer at Callaway 8WSW reported 1.07 inches of precipitation for April.

Drought, Lincoln

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions across most of Lincoln County by the end of April. Over northeastern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Hershey 5 SSE reported 1.37 inches of precipitation in April. This was 0.62 inches below the normal of 1.99 inches. The cooperative observer at Wallace 2W reported 1.25 inches of precipitation for April. This was 0.97 inches below the normal of 2.22 inches. At the North Platte Regional Airport, 1.12 inches of precipitation was reported in April. This was 1.17 inches below the normal of 2.29 inches. The cooperative observer at Brady reported 0.64 inches of precipitation for April.

Drought, Hayes

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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 persisted through the end of April across all of Hayes County. The cooperative observer at Hayes Center reported 0.94 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.15 inches below the normal of 2.09 inches.

Drought, Frontier

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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 persisted through the end of April across all of Frontier County. The cooperative observer at Curtis reported 0.86 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.33 inches below the normal of 2.19 inches. The cooperative observer at Eustis 2NW reported 0.57 inches of precipitation for the month of April. This was 1.93 inches below the normal of 2.50 inches.

Drought, Sheridan

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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 expanded to extreme (D3) drought conditions over the central portion of Sheridan County by the end of April. Over the northern third of Sheridan County, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Gordon 6N reported 0.79 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.46 inches below the normal of 2.25 inches.

Drought, Western Cherry

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Western 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 west central, central, and south central Cherry County, deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought by the end of April. Across far northwestern and far north central portions of the county, severe (D2) drought persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Kilgore 1NE reported 2.68 inches of precipitation in April. The cooperative observer at Mullen 22N reported 0.78 inches of precipitation for April.

Drought, Garden

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought across portions of southwestern Garden County by the end of April. Across the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Crescent Lakes NWR reported 0.85 inches of precipitation in April. This was 1.28 inches below the normal of 2.13 inches. The cooperative observer at Oshkosh 8SW reported 0.59 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.47 inches below the normal of 2.06 inches. The cooperative observer at Oshkosh reported 0.42 inches of precipitation in April. This was 1.58 inches below the normal of 2.00 inches. The cooperative station at Oshkosh 10NE reported 0.29 inches of precipitation in April.

Drought, Grant

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.915, -101.740 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across all of Grant County through the end of April.

Drought, Hooker

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted over the western half of Hooker County through the end of April. Over the eastern half of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought by the end of the month.

Drought, Arthur

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Arthur forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 41.569, -101.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across all of Arthur County through the end of April. The cooperative observer at Arthur reported 0.33 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.87 inches below the normal of 2.20 inches.

Drought, Deuel

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions, persisted through the end of April across most of Deuel County. Over the far northwestern portion of the county, extreme (D3) drought deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought by the end of the month.

Drought, Keith

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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, transitioned to extreme (D3) drought by the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Ogallala reported 0.84 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.39 inches below the normal of 2.23 inches. The cooperative observer at Kingsley Dam reported 0.70 inches of precipitation for April. This was 1.38 inches below the normal of 2.08 inches.

Drought, Perkins

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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 conditions transitioned to extreme (D3) drought conditions over the northeastern quarter of the county by the end of April. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

Drought, Chase

When: April 1, 12:00 AM MST to April 30, 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of April across all of Chase County. The cooperative observer at Imperial reported 1.27 inches of precipitation for April. This was 0.75 inches below the normal of 2.02 inches.

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 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, April 2026

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: 1324919, 1324929, 1324932, 1324943, 1324954, 1324958, 1325049, 1325057, 1325058, 1325059, 1325062, 1332422, 1332426, 1332432, 1332456, 1332465, 1332469, 1324891, 1324912, 1325035, 1325045, 1325047, 1332417, 1332450, 1332451, 1332452, 1332461.