Drought in Eastern Cherry, Nebraska

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.

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.