According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, September 2013 marked the 16th consecutive month of category D2 Severe (or worse) Drought within South Central Nebraska, continuing one of the most notable droughts since the 1950s. However, there was positive news as the total number of counties affected by D2-or-worse drought continued to dwindle from 14 at the start of September to only 11 at month's end. Over the course of the month, the U.S. Drought Monitor reflected one-category improvement across much of the western half of the area, thanks in large part to a widespread 1.00-2.50 rainfall late in the month on the 27th. The resultant above normal monthly rainfall across several of these western counties was quite welcome, and targeted those places that needed it most based on long-term precipitation deficits. Meanwhile, generally the eastern half of the area saw little, if any change in drought classification during the month due to prevailing below normal rainfall. In fact, September marked the fourth-consecutive month of below normal rainfall across decent chunks of Hamilton, Polk, York and Fillmore counties. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor at month's end, the entire local 24-county area was void of not only category D4 Exceptional Drought (the worst-possible category) but also D3 Extreme Drought, for the first time since July 2012. Nonetheless, the lingering effects of longer-term dryness kept D2 Severe Drought firmly intact across southwestern counties, especially Gosper, Phelps, Furnas and Harlan. A separate, smaller zone of D2 drought also lingered much farther northeast, mainly within eastern Greeley and northwestern Nance counties. Meanwhile, category D1 Moderate Drought prevailed across the majority of South Central Nebraska at month's end, while a stripe of category D0 Abnormally Dry conditions (considered to be one category better than true drought) remained intact across most of Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Thayer counties.
Reports from around 50 NWS Cooperative Observers, and also radar-derived estimation, revealed that there was a pronounced west-versus-east split in September precipitation across the area (wetter in the west, drier in the east, and based on September normals that range from around 1.60��� in the far west to around 2.70��� in the far east). However, even within eastern counties there were localized exceptions of above normal rainfall, including areas near the intersection of Adams/Clay/Webster/Nuckolls counties, along with parts of southeastern Thayer County. As a whole, roughly 60 percent of South Central Nebraska had above normal monthly precipitation and 40 percent below normal. Per a combination of NWS cooperative observers and NeRAIN observers, a few of the highest September precipitation totals featured 4.87��� six miles north-northwest of Oxford, 4.81��� at Nelson, 4.34��� at Wilcox and 3.95 at Hubbell. On the opposite, drier side of the spectrum were sites such as Belgrade (1.04���), Polk (1.22���), Hastings airport (1.26���), and two miles west of Genoa (1.27���). In between these wettest and driest extremes, the majority of South Central Nebraska measured September rainfall totals somewhere between 1.50-3.25, including stations in or near Grand Island, Greeley, Gothenburg, Cambridge, Osceola, Aurora and Clay Center.
Focusing on the longer-range picture of year-to-date precipitation (Jan. 1-Sep. 18), most of the 24-county area stood somewhere between 75-115% of normal, with the driest areas generally concentrated southwest of a line from Lexington-Red Cloud, including only 61% of normal eight miles south of Elwood. In contrast, the wettest areas so far in 2013 with near-to-slightly-above normal precipitation were largely concentrated in northern counties such as Greeley, Nance, Sherman and Howard (including 113% of normal at St. Paul), along with limited areas farther south including much of Nuckolls and western Clay counties. According to the USDA Nebraska Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending September 15th, state-averaged topsoil rated 60% short or very short and 40% percent adequate, a degradation from only 44% short or very short on August 18th. State-averaged subsoil moisture supplies remained in worse shape and rated 72% short to very short, up slightly from 64% four weeks prior. The state-averaged corn crop checked in 63% good to excellent and only 14% poor to very poor, although dryland corn only rated 36% good or excellent. Soybeans across the state rated 60% good or excellent, down from 72% in mid-August. Nebraska stock water supplies degraded slightly since mid-August to 28% short or very short. Pasture and range conditions also degraded very slightly, rating 38% poor or very poor, compared to 34% on August 18th.

Drought in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 01-SEP-13 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor