Drought in Nebraska, May 1 to 31, 2026

Name: Drought in Nebraska, May 1 to 31, 2026
Start: 2026-05-01T00:00
End: 2026-05-31T23:59
Location: Nebraska

May 1 to 31, 2026 · NWS LBF · 27 events in 27 counties and zones

Continued dryness in May, led to deterioration of drought conditions for much of western and north central Nebraska. There was one pocket of drought improvement across far southwestern Nebraska.

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Continued dryness in May, led to deterioration of drought conditions for much of western and north central Nebraska. There was one pocket of drought improvement across far southwestern Nebraska. By the end of May, 87 percent of western and north central Nebraska was in extreme (D3) or exceptional (D4) drought conditions.

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, 11:41 PM CST, 19 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Lows tonight will fall to near 30, with highs on Friday 5 to 10 degrees below normal. Lows Friday night slightly colder in the upper 20s to near 30.
Drier and warmer conditions return this weekend, with highs returning to the 70s.
Precipitation chances return Monday afternoon through Tuesday night, with southwest Nebraska favored for receiving light precipitation at this time.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 11:41 PM CST, 19 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1241 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Lows tonight will fall to near 30, with highs on Friday 5 to
  10 degrees below normal. Lows Friday night slightly colder in
  the upper 20s to near 30.

- Drier and warmer conditions return this weekend, with highs
  returning to the 70s.

- Precipitation chances return Monday afternoon through Tuesday
  night, with southwest Nebraska favored for receiving light
  precipitation at this time.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Issued at 151 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

Northerly flow aloft tonight through Friday night, as a closed upper
low persists north of the Great Lakes region and and upper ridge
remains over the Great Basin. This weather pattern will bring
colder overnight lows tonight and again Friday night, with highs
Friday 5 to 10 degrees below normal from 55 to 60 north, and 60
to 65 south.

For tonight, will see high pressure build in. Scattered to broken
cloudiness may aid in lows from getting to cold tonight. Still,
subfreezing lows near 30 are forecast tonight. Any tender vegetation
should be covered or brought indoors.

Friday, a shortwave disturbance will drop south in northerly flow
aloft. This will bring a return of scattered to broken clouds.
While much of the area will remain dry, could see a few showers
across swrn NE during the afternoon, but can't rule out a few
afternoon showers elsewhere, given mid level lapse rates are near
7.5 C/km.

Friday night, surface high pressure will reside over the area, with
skies becoming clear overnight. Winds light and variable to light
southwest. Lows forecast to be slightly colder, mainly in the upper
20s. This could pose a risk for more widespread damage to tender
vegetation, and a freeze headline may be needed. Confidence in a
freeze headline is medium, as MOS guidance has low from 30 to 35 for
some areas.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
Issued at 151 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

Upper ridging will begin to build into the Northern and Central
Plains on Saturday, with a sunny sky and highs across western NE
warming to 70 to 75. Wind will increase to 10 to 20 mph in the
afternoon. This will bring elevated to near critical fire weather
concerns as afternoon humidity fall to near 15 percent across the
west, and 20 to 25 percent across the east.

Sunday, a deep closed low will reside near Hudson Bay Canada. A weak
shortwave trough on the western periphery of the upper trough will
reach northern Nebraska by Sunday afternoon. This will lead to an
associated weak surface low across southeast WY into eastern CO,
with a weak cold front moving in. Highs from near 70 north to upper
70s southwest. Isolated showers and thunderstorms will be possible
across north central NE during the afternoon and evening.
Instability looks low at 100-250 J/kg, and only a few general
thunderstorms are possible. Any precipitation looks very light, with
NBM probabilities of >0.10" at 10 percent or less (north central).
Will again see elevated fire weather conditions across the south as
afternoon humidity reaches 15 to 20 percent. Winds remain a limiting
factor.

Monday, another cold front will move into western NE, with highs
again reaching the 70s. A large upper trough will drop through the
region Monday night through Tuesday night and may lead to shower
development beginning Monday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday
night. Southwest Nebraska looks to be favored at this time, where
NBM probabilities of >0.10" increase to as high as 40-50
percent. With at least meager instability in place across the
area, some threat for thunderstorms looks to exist as well.
Severe weather looks unlikely at this time.

Highs Tuesday and Wednesday will be cooler from the upper 50s to
lower 60s. Upper ridging shown to build in Thursday with highs
returning to the upper 60s to mid 70s and dry conditions.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1241 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026

Quiet aviation conditions are expected through Friday evening with
no precipitation expected and skies remain clear to mostly clear.
Winds remain near or under 10 knots but will shift from the
northwest Friday morning to the northeast by the evening before
becoming variable again Friday night.

&&

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

&&

SHORT TERM...Roberg
LONG TERM...Roberg
AVIATION...Kulik

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 1:37 PM CST, 10 hours 23 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service North Platte NE
237 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-011945-
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-
237 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 /137 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026/

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Lows tonight will fall to near 30 degrees across much of the outlook
area. Any tender vegetation should be covered or brought indoors for
protection from the cold.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.

Lows Friday night will fall into the upper 20s to near 30 degrees
across much of the outlook area. This could pose a risk for more
widespread damage to tender vegetation, which should be covered or
brought indoors for protection from the cold.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

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: 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)

Over northeastern portions of Cherry County, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the May. Over east central and southeastern portions of Cherry County, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of May. At the Valentine Airport, 1.35 inches of precipitation was reported in May. This was 2.17 inches below the normal of 3.52 inches. At the Valentine Lakes NWR, 1.89 inches of precipitation was reported for the month. This was 1.92 inches below the normal of 3.81 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 persisted across far eastern portions of Keya Paha County through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

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 continued across almost all of Brown County in May. Over far northern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

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 persisted across the southern 3/4ths of Rock County through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

Drought, Boyd

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

Over far eastern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

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)

Severe (D2) drought conditions, persisted over far northwestern portions of Holt County through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Atkinson 3SW reported 0.94 inches of precipitation for May. This was 3.37 inches below the normal of 4.31 inches. The cooperative observer at O'Neill reported 1.78 inches of precipitation for May. This was 2.43 inches below the normal of 4.21 inches.

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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across all of Thomas County through the end of 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across all of Blaine County through the end of May. The cooperative observer at Purdum reported 1.12 inches of precipitation for May. This was 3.09 inches below the normal of 4.21 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 persisted across all of Loup County through the end of May.

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 persisted over all of Garfield County through the end of May. The cooperative observer at Burwell reported 1.90 inches of precipitation for May. This was 2.14 inches below the normal of 4.04 inches. The cooperative observer at Ericson 8WNW reported 2.98 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.99 inches below the normal of 3.97 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, persisted over most of Wheeler County through the end of May. Over southeastern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought persisted through the end of the month.

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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted over all of McPherson County through 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted over the northwestern half of Logan County through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Stapleton 5W reported 2.32 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.14 inches below the normal of 3.46 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)

Over most of Custer County, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of May. Over far southeastern portions of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions, improved to severe (D2) drought conditions by the end of the month. Across northwestern portions of Custer County, severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions by the end of May. At the Broken Bow Airport, 2.65 inches of precipitation was reported in May. This was 1.30 inches below the normal of 3.95 inches. The cooperative observer at Broken Bow 2W reported 2.69 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.34 inches below the normal of 4.03 inches. The cooperative observer at Callaway 8WSW reported 2.36 inches of precipitation for May.

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)

Across northeastern portions of Lincoln County, severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought by the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Hershey 5 SSE reported 2.31 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.02 inches below the normal of 3.33 inches. The cooperative observer at Wallace 2W reported 2.16 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.31 inches below the normal of 3.47 inches. At the North Platte Regional Airport, 1.65 inches of precipitation was reported in May. This was 1.70 inches below the normal of 3.35 inches. The cooperative observer at Brady reported 2.63 inches of precipitation for 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 persisted through the end of May across most of Hayes County. Across far southwestern portions of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought. Across far southeastern portions of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought. The cooperative observer at Hayes Center reported 3.52 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.04 inches below 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 persisted through the end of May across the northern third of Frontier County. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought conditions by the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Curtis reported 3.87 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.18 inches above the normal of 3.69 inches. The cooperative observer at Eustis 2NW reported 2.99 inches of precipitation for the month of May. This was 0.59 inches below the normal of 3.58 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across the southern 2/3rds of Sheridan County through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions by the end of May. The cooperative observer at Gordon 6N reported 2.32 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.92 inches below the normal of 3.24 inches.

Drought, Western Cherry

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 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 persisted over portions of north central Cherry County through the end of May. Across northwestern portions of the county, severe (D2) drought conditions deteriorated to extreme (D3) drought conditions by the end of May. Over the remainder of western Cherry County extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Kilgore 1NE reported 1.15 inches of precipitation in May. The cooperative observer at Mullen 22N reported 1.78 inches of precipitation for May.

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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought across almost all of Garden County by the end of May. Across far southeastern portions 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 May. This was 2.22 inches below the normal of 3.07 inches. The cooperative observer at Oshkosh 8SW reported 1.51 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.63 inches below the normal of 3.14 inches. The cooperative observer at Oshkosh reported 1.45 inches of precipitation in May. This was 1.57 inches below the normal of 3.02 inches. The cooperative station at Oshkosh 10NE reported 1.07 inches of precipitation in May.

Drought, Grant

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 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 deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought conditions across most of Grant County by the end of May. Across far northern and far eastern portions of the county, extreme (D3) drought persisted through the end of May.

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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted over all of Hooker County through the end of May.

Drought, Arthur

When: May 1, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 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 far southern and far eastern portions of Arthur County through the end of May. Over the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought deteriorated to exceptional (D4) drought by the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Arthur reported 1.60 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.77 inches below the normal of 3.37 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions, persisted through the end of May across most of Deuel County. Over far northwestern portions of the county, exceptional (D4) drought conditions persisted through the end of the month.

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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across all of Keith County through the end of May. The cooperative observer at Ogallala reported 1.83 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.39 inches below the normal of 3.22 inches. The cooperative observer at Kingsley Dam reported 2.07 inches of precipitation for May. This was 1.28 inches below the normal of 3.35 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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted across most of Perkins County through the end of May. Over far southwestern portions of the county, extreme (D3) drought conditions improved to severe (D2) drought by the end of the month.

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)

Extreme (D3) drought conditions persisted through the end of May across northeastern portions of Chase County. Across the remainder of the county, extreme (D3) drought improved to severe (D2) drought by the end of the month. The cooperative observer at Imperial reported 3.34 inches of precipitation for May. This was 0.17 inches above the normal of 3.17 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, May 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: 1335317, 1335328, 1335341, 1335343, 1335345, 1335350, 1335358, 1335361, 1335363, 1335368, 1335370, 1335374, 1335377, 1335381, 1335397, 1335408, 1335409, 1335312, 1335314, 1335352, 1335355, 1335356, 1335373, 1335385, 1335387, 1335391, 1335403.