According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, March marked the ninth consecutive month of severe (or worse) drought across South Central Nebraska. This continued one of the worst droughts since the 1950s, as the majority of the 24-county area measured below normal March precipitation. Based on Drought Monitor weekly issuances, there was overall little change in drought classification over the course of the month. A small part of the area actually experienced a slight degradation from category D3 extreme drought to D4 exceptional drought (the worst-possible category). This degradation was especially noted across much of Buffalo, Hall and Kearney counties. At month's end, the D4 area primarily focused within 13 counties generally northwest of a line from Alma-Grand Island-Fullerton. Most of the other 11 counties farther southeast remained in D3 extreme drought, although the majority of Webster, Nuckolls and Thayer counties improved to the somewhat less significant D2 severe drought during the last week of March. Based on reports from around 50 NWS cooperative observers, and also incorporating radar-derived estimation, roughly 70 percent of the area tallied below normal March precipitation (based on normals generally between 1.70-2.15). This included nearly all locations northwest of a line from Franklin-Grand Island-Fullerton. The limited area that observed slightly above normal precipitation was primarily concentrated 15-20 miles either side of an axis running from near Red Cloud northeastward through Clay Center and Fairmont. Much of the precipitation in this corridor fell between March 9th-10th, thanks to a combination of thunderstorms followed by generally 3-7 of snow and blizzard conditions. A few of the driest cooperative observer precipitation sites during March included Harlan County Lake (0.24), six miles north-northwest of Oxford (0.27), eight miles south of Elwood (0.30) and Gothenburg (0.31). On the opposite spectrum, a few of the wettest locations were Geneva (2.64), Hastings NWS office (2.40), four miles south of Shickley (2.33) and two miles west of Genoa (2.10). As for March snowfall, the majority of South Central Nebraska tallied near-normal to above normal amounts between 3-8, highlighted by 11.0 four miles east of Superior and 10.7 at Red Cloud.
Although severe to exceptional drought conditions remained firmly entrenched across the 24-county area at the end of March, the past four months since December 2012 signaled an overall-encouraging trend, as the majority of South Central Nebraska measured near normal to slightly above normal precipitation during that time, versus the solidly below normal values that defined much of the summer and fall of 2012. However, keeping optimism in check, December-March precipitation normally accounts for less than 15% of total annual precipitation. According to the USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending March 31st, state-averaged topsoil moisture rated 80% short to very short and subsoil moisture 96% short to very short. Winter wheat across the state rated 49% poor to very poor, 41% fair and only 10% good. Hay and forage supplies checked in 59% short to very short, and stock water supplies were 36% short to very short and 63% adequate.

Drought in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in NUCKOLLS, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in THAYER, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-13 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-13 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor