In terms of drought classification assigned by the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, June 2014 marked a momentous occasion across this 24-county South Central Nebraska area: For the first time since June 2012, the entire local area became void of category D2 Severe-or-worse drought. Although the month started out with D2 drought hanging on across parts of the local area for the 25th-consecutive month, an abundance of June rainfall squashed the majority of lingering drought impacts over the course of the month. Already by June 10th, portions of the seven northern and western counties that started the month with D2 Severe drought had improved to D1 Moderate Drought. More significantly, by month's end, the vast majority of South Central Nebraska was either deemed void of all drought categorization, or assigned no worse than category D0 Abnormally Dry conditions (considered to be one category better than ���true��� drought). The only counties still hanging on to limited portions of D1 Moderate drought at month's end included Valley, Furnas, Thayer and Nuckolls.
Based on reports from around 50 NWS Cooperative Observers and a few automated airport rain gauges, and also incorporating radar-derived estimation, literally the entire 24-county area observed above normal rainfall during June 2014, a reality that hadn't happen in quite some time. More significantly, at least 55% of the area measured at least twice normal June rainfall (meaning generally more than 8.00).  Although very limited in nature, a small fraction of the area even flirted with or slightly exceeded three times normal June rainfall. Not surprisingly, a large percentage of South Central Nebraska observed at least a Top-10, if not a Top-5 wettest June on record based on long term records. At Grand Island, this was the 3rd-wettest June on record out of 119 years, while both Hastings and Kearney recorded their 5th-wettest June out of 119 years. Although few locations actually recorded their outright-wettest month of June on record (for those sites with 50+ years of records), one place that did was the NWS cooperative observer site at Cambridge, where the June total of 10.55 was the wettest out of 104 years. Although still solidly above normal, the overall-lowest June rainfall generally in the 5.00-6.50 range was heavily concentrated in the far eastern counties along the Highway 81 corridor from Polk County southward through Thayer County. As for June precipitation extremes across the local area per NWS cooperative observers and NeRAIN observers, a few of the very highest monthly totals featured 12.26 at Wilcox, 12.23 two miles west of Loup City, 11.95 five miles southeast of Cambridge and 10.20 two miles northeast of Upland. On the comparably drier side of things, a few of the lowest June totals within the area consisted of 4.69 seven miles southeast of Stromsburg, 5.01 three miles west of Gresham and 5.30 at Bradshaw. Needless to say, state-averaged topsoil and subsoil moisture levels made notable strides over the course of the month, according to the USDA Nebraska Crop Progress and Condition Report. For the week ending June 29th, this report indicated that topsoil moisture supplies were now 84% adequate to surplus and only 16% short to very short, a considerable improvement from 53% short to very short at the end of May. Likewise, subsoil moisture supplies were now 74% adequate to surplus and down to only 26% short to very short, well below the 47% short to very short rating at the end of May.
Given the considerable improvements that took place during June 2014, there will be no further drought episodes entered into Storm Data unless D2 Severe-or-worse classification returns to South Central Nebraska.

Drought in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-JUN-14 00:00:00 to 23-JUN-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-JUN-14 00:00:00 to 10-JUN-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-JUN-14 00:00:00 to 10-JUN-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 01-JUN-14 00:00:00 to 10-JUN-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 01-JUN-14 00:00:00 to 10-JUN-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 01-JUN-14 00:00:00 to 10-JUN-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor