2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (2024)

2023Precipitation Recapfor Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc.
(click tabs below narrative for a wealth of 2023precipdata...including totals/extremes for not only the Tri Cities but also for our ENTIRE coverage area)

2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (1)
2023 Precipitation Map and list of several official totals/extremes
(click to enlarge)

- IN BRIEF:
2022was a notably-dry year across our 30-county coverage area, with most places falling between5-12" short of30-year normal precipitation(typically receiving no more than 55-80% of normal). In many places, it was the overall-driest year since

at least

2012 or 2002. The overall-worst dryness focused within northern/western portions of our Nebraska coverage area, with somewhat wetter (BUT still solidly below normal) totals foundwithin much of north central Kansas along with southeast parts of our Nebraska area.

- MOREDETAILS:
For many official long-term NWS stations, 2022 ranked betweena Top-10 andTop-15 driest year on record. For many places, it was also the overall-driest year since at least 2012 or 2002, but in limited spots one hasto go back much farther to find a drier year (for example, Hastings had its driest year in 56 years...since 1966!). Not surprisingly, our entire coverage area found itself in agradually-worsening drought situation as the year wore on. Per the U.S. Drought Monitor, 2022 began with the majority of our coverage area no worse than Abnormally Dry (D0). However, by year's end the vast majority of ourarea had degraded to a mix of Moderate (D1), Severe (D2) and Extreme (D3) Drought, with the majority of the worst-off D3 concentrated north of Interstate 80 in Nebraska.Based on data from dozens of NWS and CoCoRaHS/NeRAIN observers and also radar-estimated analysis, the very-driest conditions focused primarily within northern/western portions of our Nebraska coverage area. The following counties were particularly dry (greatest concentration of annual totals under 15"): most of Howard, Merrick, Nance...much of western Dawson...much of southwestern Furnas. On the better-off (but still solidly drier-than-normal) side of things, most (not all) of north central Kansas along with southeastern parts of our Nebraska coverage area had the greatest concentration of annual totals of at least 18-23".

Although the preceding year (2021) was also notably dry the vast majority of the time, 2021 totals were somewhat skewed/"inflated" by a near-record to record-wettest March. However, 2022 DID NOThave any particularly wet months (at least on a widespread basis), with most locations in most months averaging somewhere between modestly drier-than-normal and FAR-drier-than-normal (the overall-driest months versus normal were: January, February, August, October, November). Of all the dry months,February and August were most noteworthy across the area as a whole. In February, the vast majority of places measured LESS THAN 0.10", matchingthe driest Feb. on record in places such as Grand Island and Kearney (among many others). Due in part to theincredibly dry February, the entire 2021-22 "meteorological winter" season (Dec. 2021-Feb. 2022) ranked among the Top-5 driest in many places (featuring an incredible lack of snow). In August, most of our coverage area received only between 0.20-1.50" of rain, also placing many spotsin Top-5 driest territory.

Of course, even in a very dry year there are usually at least brief periods/limited zonesof decent precipitation. In 2022, these included: 1) May was fairly wetin roughly the southeast 1/4th of our coverage area (many places with5-7")...2) July was decently-wet across most(certainly not all) of our area, with most locations tallyingbetween 3-6"...3) September was modestly-wet within muchof the southwestern half of our area (many places 2.50-4.50")...4) the year ended with a somewhat-wet December especially within the western half of our Nebraska coverage area (most places between 0.70-1.15").

HANDY TIPS:
- You can look up official daily/monthly/annual temp/precipdata for ALL NWS cooperative observer and airportstations in our area withNOWData
-You can find maps of daily/weekly/monthly etc. precipitation on a page maintained by NWS Hastings at:www.weather.gov/gid/Precipitation
- You can do your own daily/monthly/annual precipitation analysis (including generating maps) using the NWS AHPS page

  • Grand Island 2023
  • Hastings 2023
  • Kearney 2023
  • Nebraska2023(43sites)
  • Kansas2022(13sites)
  • 2022Extremes Delete

Grand Island- 2023Monthly Data/Annual Extremes at Central Nebraska RegionalAirport (GRI):

Nearly all data is from the officialautomated ASOS sensor. The main exception involves all snowfall measurements and some associated liquid equivalent (melted snow), which is manually measured by our official NWS observer near the airport. All data is collected on a "calendar day" basis (midnight-to-midnight CST).

Grand Island (Regional Airport ASOS) - 2023 Monthly Breakdown
JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSepOctNovDec2023
Average High (F)35.043.248.166.979.486.787.189.084.966.057.144.365.6
Average Low (F)19.719.324.536.451.760.764.464.757.040.329.624.641.1
Overall Avg. Temperature (F)27.431.336.351.665.573.775.876.970.953.143.334.553.4
Departure From Normal+1.5+1.6-4.4+0.6+3.5+0.9-1.2+2.3+4.30.0+3.7+5.6+1.6
Precipitation (in)1.490.881.090.151.781.943.351.441.550.770.791.2916.52
Departure From Normal+0.88+0.14-0.30-2.37-2.92-2.07-0.16-1.76-0.45-1.22-0.31+0.45-10.09
Snowfall (in)12.35.07.10.00.00.00.00.00.00.90.93.3
Departure From Normal+5.5-2.3+3.3-1.60.00.00.00.0-0.1-0.2-1.4-1.4
Hottest Daily HIGH Temperature:106°...Aug. 21
Warmest Daily LOW Temperature:76°.....Aug. 21, Aug. 24
Warmest Month (Avg Temp):76.9°....August
Warmest Month VERSUS NORMAL:December...5.6° warmer than normal
This tied for the6th-WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD out of 129 years...warmest since 2021
Coldest Daily LOW Temperature:-2°...Feb. 23
Coldest Daily HIGH Temperature:8°...Jan. 29
Coldest Month (Avg Temp):27.4°....January
Coldest Month VERSUS NORMAL:March...4.4° colder than normal
Annual 2023 Average Temperature:53.3° (1.6º ABOVE normal)
2023 tied with 2016 for the 6th-WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD out of 128 years of records
Highest Daily Rainfall:1.00"...July 29
Highest 2-Day Rainfall:1.06"...Sep. 21-22
Wettest Calendar Month:July...3.35"
Driest Calendar Month:April...0.15"
This was the3RD-DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD out of 128 years...driest since 1989
Annual 2023 Precipitation:16.52"(10.09" BELOW normal / 62% of normal)
2023 was the13th-DRIEST year on record out of 128 (BUT not as dry as 2022)
2022+2023 COMBINED totaled only 31.70"...an astounding 21.52" BELOW normal / 60% of normal !
Highest Calendar Day Snowfall:10.0"...Jan. 18
Highest 2-Day Snowfall:same as highest 1-day snowfall
Deepest Snow Depth (6 AM CST):10"...Jan. 19
Snowiest Calendar Month:January...12.3"
Highest Wind Gust:58 MPH on July 29...out of the NW during a morning thunderstorm

2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (2)


Hastings- 2023Monthly Data/Annual Extremes at Hastings Municipal Airport(HSI):

Nearly all data is from the officialautomated ASOS sensor. The mainexception involves all snowfall measurements and most associatedsnowfall liquid equivalent (melted snow), which is manually measured here at NWS Hastings. All data is collected on a "calendar day" basis (midnight-to-midnight CST).

Hastings (Municipal Airport ASOS) - 2023 Monthly Breakdown
JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSepOctNovDec2023
Average High (F)35.241.348.266.078.083.786.788.584.065.156.242.964.6
Average Low (F)19.118.725.036.252.260.863.963.656.541.230.225.041.0
Overall Avg. Temperature (F)27.130.036.651.165.172.275.376.170.253.243.234.052.8
Departure From Normal+0.70.0-4.3+0.1+3.3-0.5-1.7+1.6+3.80.0+3.5+4.8+0.9
Precipitation (in)1.191.090.990.691.225.171.542.232.961.370.851.5120.81
Departure From Normal+0.64+0.34-0.34-2.01-3.13+1.50-2.08-1.19+0.90-0.59-0.28+0.65-5.59
Snowfall (in)11.59.83.6T (hail)0.00.0T (hail)0.00.00.70.66.1
Departure From Normal+5.0+2.3-0.2-1.70.00.00.00.00.0-0.5-1.7+0.5
Hottest Daily HIGH Temperature:104°...Aug. 21
Warmest Daily LOW Temperature:77°....Aug. 21
Warmest Month (Avg Temp):76.1°....August
Warmest Month VERSUS NORMAL:December...4.8° warmer than normal
This was the13th-WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD out of 115 years...warmest since 2021
Coldest Daily LOW Temperature:-2°....Feb. 23
Coldest Daily HIGH Temperature:7°....Jan. 29
Coldest Month (Avg Temp):27.1°....January
Coldest Month VERSUS NORMAL:March...4.3° colder than normal
Annual 2023 Average Temperature:52.8° (0.9º ABOVE normal)
2023 was the 21st-WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD out of the 97 years
​with no more than 30 days of incomplete temperature data
Highest Daily Rainfall:2.03"...Sep. 21
Highest 2-Day Rainfall:2.45"...Sep. 21-22
Wettest Calendar Month:June...5.17"
Driest Calendar Month:April...0.69"
This was the 14th-driest April on record out of 126 years...driest since 1990
Annual 2023 Precipitation:20.81"(5.59" BELOW normal / 79% of normal)
2023 was the30th-DRIEST YEAR ON RECORDout of 129
2022+2023 COMBINED totaled only 36.90"...a notable 15.90" BELOW normal / 70% of normal
Highest Calendar Day Snowfall:10.8"...Jan. 18
Highest 2-Day Snowfall:11.0"...Jan. 18-19
Deepest Snow Depth (6 AM CST):11"...Jan. 19-20
Snowiest Calendar Month:January...11.5"
Highest Wind Gust:75 MPH on Aug. 2...out of the west during an early-AM thunderstorm

2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (3)

​

Kearney- 2023Monthly Data/Annual Extremes from NWS COOP Observer at Kearney Airport (KRNN1):

  • PLEASE NOTE: ALL data is from the OFFICIALNWS Cooperative Observer stationed at Kearney Regional Airport. Unlike the automated ASOS systems at Grand Island/Hastings, this data is not collected on a true "calendar day" (midnight-to-midnight) basis, but is instead from once-daily observations taken around 7am (covering the 24 hours since 7am the previousday).
  • Although theautomated AWOS at the airport (KEAR) also collects weather data, NWS Hastingsconsiders this dataUNOFFICIAL for various reasons, including: 1) thisis not an NWS-maintainedASOS system (such as Grand Island/Hastings), and thus NWS Hastings lacks the ability to "dial in" to collect data during potential communications outages...2) the precipitation sensor is not designed to accurately melt most snowfall, and because manual snowfall measurements are only taken ONCE DAILY at 7am (instead of four times a day including at Midnight CST such as at Grand Island/Hastings), there is often no way to accurately determinetrue CALENDAR DAY precipitation/snowfall during the winter months.
Kearney Airport (NWS COOP Observer) - 2023 Monthly Breakdown
JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSepOctNovDec2023
Average High (F)34.738.446.265.876.584.386.388.083.566.355.744.464.2
Average Low (F)18.616.223.033.349.658.762.261.853.740.127.823.839.1
Overall Avg. Temperature (F)26.727.334.649.563.171.574.274.968.653.241.834.151.6
Departure From Normal+1.9-0.5-3.7+0.9+3.6+1.1-0.6+2.3+4.1+1.9+3.9+6.7+1.8
Precipitation (in)1.811.161.070.202.906.482.443.174.731.580.490.9226.95
Departure From Normal+1.30+0.57-0.39-2.48-1.50+2.58-0.92+0.16+2.89-0.55-0.51+0.24+1.39
Snowfall (in)13.16.210.6Trace0.00.00.00.00.00.01.14.1
Departure From Normal+9.4+0.6+7.1-1.9-0.10.00.00.00.0-0.8-1.7+0.7
Hottest Daily HIGH Temperature:103°...reported July 27, Aug. 24 (actually occurred the day prior)
Warmest Daily LOW Temperature:72°....reported July 26, Aug. 21, Aug. 25
Warmest Month (Avg Temp):74.9°....August
Warmest Month VERSUS NORMAL:December...6.8° warmer than normal
This tied for the3rd-WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD out of 120 years...warmest since 2021
Coldest Daily LOW Temperature:-9°...reported Feb. 24-25
Coldest Daily HIGH Temperature:5°... reported Jan. 30(actually occurred Jan. 29)
Coldest Month (Avg Temp):26.7°....January
Coldest Month VERSUS NORMAL:March...3.7° colder than normal
Annual 2023 Average Temperature:51.6° (1.8º ABOVE normal)
2023 was the 19th-WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD out of the 101 years
​with no more than 30 days of incomplete temperature data
Highest 24-Hour Rainfall (7am-7am)4.03"...reported Sep. 22
Highest 48-Hour Rainfall (7am-7am):4.05"...reported Sep. 22-23
Wettest Calendar Month:June...6.48"
This was the 19th-WETTEST JUNE ON RECORDout of 128 years...wettest since 2015
Driest Calendar Month:April...0.20"
This was the2nd-DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD out of 128 years...driest since 1989
Annual 2023 Precipitation:26.95"(1.39" ABOVE normal / 105% of normal)
2023 was the39th-WETTEST year on record out of 130
2022+2023 COMBINED still totaled only 44.57"...6.55" BELOW normal / 87% of normal
Highest 24-Hour Snowfall (7am-7am):9.0"...reported Jan. 19, March 26
Highest 48-Hour Snowfall (7am-7am):10.6"...Jan. 18-19
Deepest Snow Depth (7 AM CST):11"...Jan. 19-20
Snowiest Calendar Month:13.1"...January

2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (4)



2023SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
NWS COOPERATIVE OBSERVER PRECIPITATION

(for 24 counties in the NWS Hastings coverage area)
(see bottom tables for winter 2022-2023and 2023-2024seasonal snowfall)

The highest reported amount under each month indicated in BLUE, the lowest amount in RED.

According to 30-year data from NCDC 1981-2010, normal annual precipitation across this 24-county area generally ranges from 23-30 inches, with the lowest part of this range including far western locations such as Gothenburg and Cambridge, and the highest part of this range including far eastern locations near Highway 81 such as York and Hebron.

StationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulyAugSepOctNovDec2023 Total
Arcadia 2W2.320.490.300.245.213.243.351.081.983.840.641.4524.14
Beaver City1.661.400.320.465.953.853.104.231.911.380.260.6825.20
Belgrade1.491.000.720.643.081.713.122.053.612.100.850.9221.26
Blue Hill 4SW1.560.970.820.332.043.692.613.342.501.051.221.8621.99
Bradshaw1.151.130.811.400.601.894.962.971.300.780.671.6419.30
Cambridge1.870.940.500.244.943.252.674.301.381.060.360.3321.84
Lexington 6SSE (Canaday)2.000.990.960.173.533.233.543.034.412.130.580.5024.45
Clay Center 6 ESE0.900.980.660.691.162.287.313.981.811.581.321.6524.32
Clay Center1.331.140.650.301.063.125.192.532.870.971.021.7521.93
Edison1.350.990.630.225.052.193.143.301.591.030.580.5120.58
Elwood 8S1.691.061.160.243.524.193.152.643.112.630.310.6124.31
Geneva1.150.670.640.430.213.537.231.891.41MSGMSGMSGMSG
Genoa 2W1.161.100.890.892.122.045.212.293.332.570.411.7323.74
Gothenburg2.050.520.510.355.642.812.183.362.861.570.541.0223.41
Grand Island Airport1.490.881.090.151.781.943.351.441.550.770.791.2916.56
Greeley1.430.700.260.433.273.373.633.822.924.141.050.7425.76
Gresham 3W1.051.270.861.841.342.117.171.370.881.510.471.5221.39
Harlan County Lake1.671.240.480.745.723.034.996.542.770.780.371.1029.43
Hastings Airport1.191.090.990.691.225.171.542.232.961.370.851.5120.81
Hastings NWS Office1.241.100.991.862.064.341.982.042.291.090.851.7021.54
Hebron0.880.901.010.692.762.542.833.892.791.530.952.0222.79
Holdrege2.001.391.320.174.185.052.203.722.930.790.580.8525.18
Hubbell1.200.800.701.282.043.102.526.132.361.241.241.9424.55
Kearney Airport1.811.161.070.202.906.482.443.174.731.580.490.9226.95
Loup City2.020.670.340.224.985.406.631.201.893.790.490.9128.54
Miller1.630.720.930.293.074.733.002.582.222.140.650.7122.66
Minden1.061.010.500.273.735.071.622.773.752.110.531.1023.52
Naponee1.381.210.400.545.023.674.265.092.651.020.181.2526.67
North Loup1.880.530.180.415.582.658.270.922.003.460.780.9027.56
Orleans 1W1.300.990.370.396.233.763.583.402.080.780.521.0224.42
Ord Airport2.060.440.470.274.763.105.631.402.393.900.731.3526.50
Ord2.070.460.490.304.303.636.491.072.363.800.841.5427.35
Osceola1.400.991.130.771.452.146.271.231.241.380.291.7120.00
Oxford 6NNW1.471.100.750.275.474.292.783.331.681.080.470.7523.44
Polk1.370.880.890.971.202.565.421.911.391.390.491.6720.14
Ravenna2.020.970.660.112.645.602.802.482.132.850.770.8623.89
Red Cloud1.531.150.570.462.953.881.684.974.211.431.202.1326.16
St. Paul1.731.040.960.372.812.566.021.231.261.090.820.8120.70
Shelby 3NE0.840.980.910.770.683.555.952.741.341.700.151.4021.01
Shickley 4S0.820.740.660.470.814.886.311.954.791.421.071.6525.57
Superior1.131.280.620.800.842.812.342.833.770.741.471.6720.30
Wilsonville1.511.330.390.545.265.772.102.842.440.720.330.7023.93
York 3N1.261.110.831.680.421.677.311.931.521.910.721.7522.11


2023NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
NWS COOPERATIVE OBSERVER PRECIPITATION

(for 6counties in the NWS Hastings coverage area)
(see bottom tables for winter 2022-2023and 2023-2024seasonal snowfall)

The highest reported monthly/annual totals indicated in BLUE, the lowest in RED.

According to 30-year data from NCDC 1981-2010, normal annual precipitation across this six-county area generally ranges from 24-27",
with the highest amounts favoring the eastern counties of Jewell and Mitchell.

StationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulyAugSepOctNovDec2023 Total
Beloit0.990.490.380.431.363.495.844.571.110.621.591.6522.52
ca*wker City1.260.700.310.141.624.254.343.590.760.990.762.1420.86
Glen Elder Lake1.070.750.190.342.543.733.463.921.180.601.041.9320.75
Ionia1.080.710.260.493.663.713.623.291.970.880.942.0222.63
Kirwin Dam1.751.120.240.383.283.186.165.671.240.781.021.6926.51
Lebanon1.300.610.390.573.966.052.857.842.051.140.851.9629.57
Logan1.480.980.260.163.671.953.545.381.921.560.261.0822.24
Lovewell Dam1.091.030.490.922.995.752.195.063.801.171.621.7427.85
Natoma1.530.300.090.872.975.044.004.510.311.150.591.9223.28
Phillipsburg1.601.100.250.353.623.653.876.693.280.570.361.2026.10
Plainville 4WNW1.531.040.300.063.423.173.893.890.630.121.032.0121.09
Smith Center1.350.680.230.501.985.702.097.062.080.650.782.1325.23
Webster Dam1.200.770.290.102.395.323.803.010.950.650.621.6020.70
2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (5)2022 Annual Precipitation Extremes
NWS Hastings 30-County Coverage Area

(data mainly from NWS Cooperative Observers & CocCoRaHS/NeRAIN observers)

2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (6)

(*Please Note: All data presented here are preliminary and subject to revision.Final and certified climate data is available through National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Extremes Across our ENTIRE 30-County Area:

Highest 2022TOTALPrecipitation ("normal" annual precip across our area generally ranges 23-30"...lowest west/highest east)

  • 25.78"...Hubbell
  • 24.45"...10 miles SSW Beloit KS
  • 24.41"...Superior
  • 23.20"...1ENE York
  • 22.81"...4NNE Byron
  • 22.56"...9NW Ord
  • 22.46"...Clay Center NE
  • 22.41"...3W Gresham
  • 22.27"...Lovewell Dam KS
  • 22.18"...4E Hardy

Lowest 2022TOTALPrecipitation (only includes stations with no more than 6days of missing datafor the year)

  • 11.96"...9 miles NE Palmer
  • 12.61"...8S Elwood
  • 13.33"...3NE Central City
  • 14.33"...Greeley
  • 14.36"...Belgrade
  • 14.46"...Wilsonville
  • 14.74"...8NNE Scotia
  • 14.76"...St. Paul
  • 14.77"...1E Lexington
  • 14.87"...Ord (observer in town...interestingly the airport just north of town received modestly more with 16.25")

Wettest Calendar Month in 2022

  • 9.65"...Superior(July)
  • 8.90"...10SSW Beloit KS(May)
  • 7.49"...Hubbell(July)
  • 7.44"...Glen Elder Lake KS(May)
  • 7.44"...4NNE Byron(July)
  • 7.30"...9NW Ord(July)
  • 7.05"...6NW Barnard KS(May)
  • 6.85"...2NNW Hunter KS(May)
  • 6.77"...Spalding(July)
  • 6.65"...2N Nora(May)

Highest 24-HOURRainfall in 2022(covering a 24-hour period ending around7am on the specified date)

  • 4.45"...Superior(July 1)
  • 3.70"...4SE Waco(Aug. 16)
  • 3.59"...Lawrence(July 6)
  • 3.45"...4NNE Byron(July 7)
  • 3.25"...Spalding(July 4)
  • 3.22"...Formoso KS(July 25)
  • 3.13"...4E Waco(Aug. 16)
  • 3.05"...Arapahoe(April 29)
  • 3.05"...3W Gresham(Sep. 10)
  • 2.98"...6SSE Lexington/Canaday Plant(Sep. 16)

Please visitthe following sitesfor a wealth of additional local climate information:
-NOWData....official temp/precip/snow datafor any NWS observation site in our coverage area
-Daily/Monthly/Annual Precipitation Maps(page maintained by NWS Hastings)
-Daily/Monthly/Seasonal Snowfall Maps(page maintained by NWS Hastings)
- NWS HastingsLocal Climate Page(various additional weather/climate info)
-High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC)...information for the entire High Plains region (not just our coverage area)

2023 Precipitation Recap for Our Entire Coverage Area...Including Map, Tables, Extremes, Tri Cities Details, etc. (2024)

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