According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, March 2014 marked the 22nd-consecutive month during which drought of at least category D2 Severe intensity plagued some portion of this 24-county South Central Nebraska area, continuing one of the most notable droughts in decades. For most of the area, March was at least the fifth-consecutive month of below normal precipitation, but compared to 30-year normals it was hands-down the driest month of all recent ones. According to reports from nearly 50 NWS cooperative observers, and also taking into account radar-derived precipitation estimates, all of South Central Nebraska measured below normal March precipitation (based on long-term March normals of roughly 1.85). However, more significantly, nearly 90% of the area received less than one-fourth of normal March precipitation. Given these dubious March precipitation trends, the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor reflected a one-category degradation in drought classification across much of the 24-county area. At month's end, roughly 75% of South Central Nebraska was either in category D1 Moderate Drought or D2 Severe Drought. The D1 Moderate Drought area included several counties along and west of Highway 281, along with Nance and Merrick counties and portions of Nuckolls, Thayer and Polk counties farther east. Meanwhile, worse D2 Severe Drought continued to plague all or parts of western counties such as Furnas, Gosper, Dawson, Harlan and Phelps, and now included most of Valley County as well. Farther east, all of Hamilton, York, Clay and Fillmore counties along with at least small portions of several bordering counties continued to fare a bit better with D0 Abnormally Dry classification (considered to be one category better than ���true��� drought).
Not surprisingly, many locations within the area endured one of the Top-10 driest months of March on record, including Grand Island airport with its 9th-driest out of 117 years with only 0.19, and Hastings airport which also had its 9th-driest out of 115 years with merely 0.15. Even more impressively, Red Cloud tied with a handful of previous years for the outright-driest March on record out of 118 years with only a paltry trace. Although still plenty dry, there was one localized exception within the area that received around one-half to as much as two-thirds of normal March precipitation: mainly portions of Dawson, Gosper and Furnas counties. In those counties, most precipitation fell on the 18th and/or 22nd in the form of several inches of snow. As for monthly extremes, a few of the lowest March totals per NWS cooperative observers included only a trace at Red Cloud and Bruning, 0.03 at Hebron and 0.05 at Hubbell. On the comparably ���wetter��� side of the spectrum were western stations including Gothenburg (1.30���), Cambridge (0.81���) and eight miles south of Elwood (0.73). According to the USDA Nebraska Crop Progress and Condition Report at the end of March, state-averaged topsoil moisture supplies degraded slightly since late-February, as the short to very short categories increased from 57% to 62%. Subsoil moisture supplies followed a similar trend, degrading from 55% to 60% short to very short.

Drought in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 01-MAR-14 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-14 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor