2024 Was Very Warm
Official statewide average temperature for the year comes in at 52.7°F. This puts 2024 as the second warmest all-time in Nebraska, behind only 54.0°F in 2012. If mid-January had not been near-record cold for much of the state, it is probable that 2024 would have beat the record set in 2012.
No individual months in 2024 were the warmest on record statewide. However, only January and July had temperatures below 20th Century averages, and several months were in the top five warmest in 2024: February (second warmest), September (fourth warmest), and December (fourth warmest).
The near-record warm temperatures in September were a catalyst in flash drought development that much of the state experienced this fall. All climate divisions in the state were top five warmest in 2024, though February was more exceptionally warm in eastern Nebraska, and September and December were more exceptionally warm in western Nebraska.
It was the warmest year on record for several U.S. states and for the globe.
Fourth Warmest December
Temperatures averaged 33.0°F, cooler than last year's record warm December, but still good for fourth warmest on record. Three of the warmest Decembers on record in Nebraska have occurred since 2021. A more thorough summary of December weather will be posted soon.
Near-average Precipitation
Precipitation averaged 22.41 inches in Nebraska last year, just slightly below the 20th Century average. Precipitation was not equally distributed spatially or throughout the year, however. Parts of the northern Panhandle were top five driest, and the state had its driest September on record in 2024. But wetter conditions in much of central and eastern Nebraska in the late spring and a very wet November in south-central and most of eastern Nebraska pushed three of the climate divisions (east-central, central, south-central) into the top quartile for annual precipitation in 2024.
