The sun dips below the horizon during mid-March, (Brian Neben, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — The National Weather Service – Hastings released the precipitation amounts that fell across their area during the month of March.
Most of the area saw between 0.90 and 2.00 inches, 60-140 percent of normal. The highest amounts fell in the southern area while the driest amounts were the far southeast, northeast and west, per NWS Hastings.
The overall wettest areas included five miles southwest of Arapahoe, 3.01 inches; Smith Center, Kan., 2.45 inches, Fairmont, 2.35 inches; two miles north of Hastings, 2.24 inches and Lawrence, 2.20 inches.
The driest areas included three miles northeast of Chester, 0.56 inches; Lexington, 0.62 inches; Cambridge, 0.70 inches; Hebron, 0.70 inches and Hardy, 0.74 inches.
The Tri-Cities Airports recorded the following:
- Grand Island: 1.95 inches, 140 percent of normal, 35th wettest March, wettest since 2021.
- Hastings: 1.62 inches, 122 percent of normal, 49th wettest March, wettest since 2021.
- Kearney: 1.74 inches, 119 percent of normal, 41st wettest March on record, wettest since 2021.
For reference, normal March precipitation across the NWS Hastings coverage area usually ranges from 1.25 inches to 1.65 inches, usually lower in the west, higher in the east.
The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the improvement that has been made since the early winter. A lobe of severe drought, D2, conditions exist east of Clay and Hamilton counties.
Locally, Hall and Adams counties are under moderate drought, D1, conditions. Buffalo County sees a gradient of no drought conditions in the west, abnormally dry, D0, conditions in the center and moderate drought in the east.
“General reductions in the coverage of D0 and moderate to severe drought (D1 to D2) were observed in several areas, including parts of the Dakotas, northern Kansas, and eastern sections of Montana and Nebraska,” per the U.S. Drought Monitor.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, topsoil was rated more than 40% very short to short on March 24 in Wyoming (55%), North Dakota (49%), South Dakota (47%), Nebraska (47%), Kansas (45%).
