Throughout February 2023, all-or-part of 21 of the 24 South Central Nebraska counties continued to be assigned at least Severe Drought (D2) by the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), with at least portions of seven counties featuring worse-off Extreme Drought (D3). This marked the 13th consecutive month that D2 plagued parts of the local area and the seventh straight month with at least limited coverage of D3. Although the lingering, longer-term drought situation remained firmly intact, much of the area saw encouraging trends for the second straight month, with most places picking up near-to-above-normal precipitation (see below for more Feb. precipitation details). Focusing on county-level USDM drought category specifics during February, there was actually no change whatsoever across the area over the course of the month. The month opened and closed with at least portions of 21 counties containing D2, with D2 blanketing the majority of real estate along/north of the Highway 6 corridor. In fact, only three of the southeastern-most local counties (Webster/Nuckolls/Thayer) remained entirely void of D2 through February...holding onto a varied mix of Moderate Drought (D1) and Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions. On the worst-off side of things, roughly one-eighth of South Central Nebraska spent the month in D3, the majority concentrated within the northeast quadrant of the area. This included all of Nance County, most of Merrick County, and at least small portions of Greeley, Howard, Polk, and Hall counties. Meanwhile, well off to the southwest, a separate area of D3 also afflicted southwestern Furnas County.
Turning to February 2023 precipitation details, although total amounts were not nearly enough to put a significant dent in drought categories (due to the winter months being the overall-driest months of the year on average), February nonetheless carried over some promising trends from January. Nearly two-thirds of the area measured at least slightly above normal monthly precipitation, and the entire domain received at least half-normal amounts (meaning nobody was bone-dry). The majority of the 24-county area totaled between 0.50-1.25 inches, or roughly 66-166 percent of normal. The overall-highest totals focused within counties between Interstate 80 and the Kansas border, bolstered in large part by a fairly significant mid-month winter storm that dumped 4-8 of snow over most of that area. Meanwhile, the overall-lowest February precipitation amounts focused within far northern/west-central local counties...particularly Valley, Greeley and western Dawson. Per over 100 NWS and NeRAIN/CoCoRaHS observers, some of the highest February tallies featured: 1.58 three miles west of Clay Center, 1.51 six miles south of Wilcox, 1.45 at Alma and 1.40 in Beaver City. In the Tri Cities, all three official airport stations recorded above normal totals between 0.88-1.16, actually marking the wettest February since 2016 in Grand Island/Hastings and the wettest since 2000 in Kearney. On the less fortunate side of the precipitation ledger, some of the lowest February totals included: 0.44 in the Elyria area, 0.46 in Ord, 0.49 near Arcadia and 0.52 in Gothenburg.

Drought in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 01-FEB-23 00:00:00 to 28-FEB-23 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor