May 2006 Extremely Dry Across Western and North Central Nebraska
Sparse rainfall will be the legacy for the month of May, 2006, across Western and North Central Nebraska. The following data highlights how dry it actually was across the region...with a statistical analysis in the final chart as to what a dry Spring means to yearly precipitiation totals.
| County | Location | 2006 | 2005 | Normal (1971-2000) |
| Boyd | Butte | 0.03 | 4.54 | 3.94 |
| Custer | Anselmo 2 SE | 0.05 | 3.16 | 3.74 |
| Custer | Arnold | 0.07 | 3.06 | 3.64 |
| Brown | Ainsworth | 0.10 | 4.87 | 3.39 |
| Holt | Chambers | 0.17 | 5.37 | 3.82 |
| Custer | Mason City | 0.17 | 4.31 | 3.88 |
| Custer | Broken Bow | 0.19 | 2.69 | 3.51 |
| Cherry | Valentine | 0.26 | 2.63 | 3.20 |
| Sheridan | Ellsworth | 0.34 | 2.57 | 2.81 |
| Logan | Stapleton 5 W | 0.35 | 3.34 | 3.56 |
| Lincoln | Hershey 5 SSE | 0.42 | M | 3.25 |
| Lincoln | North Platte Exp Farm | 0.45 | 3.52 | 3.47 |
| Deuel | Big Springs | 0.53 | 1.50 | 3.10 |
| Sheridan | Hay Springs | 0.60 | 1.84* | 3.13 |
| Sheridan | Ellsworth 15 NNE | 0.67 | 3.38 | 3.22 |
| Frontier | McCook 17 NNW | 0.73 | 2.36 | 3.31 |
| Lincoln | North Platte NWS Office | 0.83 | 3.04 | 3.04 |
| Hayes | Hayes Center | 0.85 | 2.89 | 3.16 |
| Frontier | Eustis 2 NW | 0.93 | 3.27 | 3.59 |
| Perkins | Madrid | 1.03 | M | 3.39 |
| Chase | Imperial | 1.09 | 2.85 | 3.25 |
| Boyd | Lynch | 1.16 | 4.05 | 3.70 |
| Chase | Wauneta 3 NW | 1.32 | 2.79 | 3.20 |
| Totals in italics indicate minor quantities of missing data (minimal impact on data quality) |
| Totals in italics and with a * indicate substantial missing data (impacts on data quality likely) |
| Averages in red indicate that May is climatologically the wettest month of the year |
| Station | Rank | Period of Record |
| Valentine | 3rd Driest | 121 Years |
| North Platte | 9th Driest | 132 Years |
Statistical Data for North Platte
The following chart is a depiction of the top 20 driest first five months of the calendar year (January through May) and their subsequent annual precipitation totals. Below average precipitation totals for the year resulted in all events except for one (1907). The average annual total is based on the statistical average of all events represented below.
