Drought in Lincoln, Nebraska

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.

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.