Dry November Conditions Lead to Major Shift in Drought Monitor
This week's Drought Monitor for Nebraska showed approximately 61% of the state has now moved into the "Abnormally Dry" category, an increase from just 9% last week. Moderate drought conditions were indicated for just 2% of the state, unchanged from last week.
In November Nebraska saw above-average temperatures and below-normal precipitation, averaging as much as 5 degrees above normal in west and north-central portions of the state, wrote Nebraska State Climatologist Martha Shulski in the November Climate Update. Several locations in western Nebraska ranked in the top 10 warmest Novembers on record, including McCook, North Platte, Scottsbluff, Sidney, and Valentine.
Nebraska typically enters its dry season in November, but this November, precipitation was even lower than normal.
"Several locations, particularly in eastern Nebraska, reported less than a tenth of an inch of moisture, qualifying them for one of the top 10 driest Novembers on record. Monthly totals were less than a quarter inch in southern Nebraska and in the northeast, Shulski wrote.
November Extremes
Following are a few of the extremes reported for November 2017 in the Nebraska Climate Update:
Highest air temperature: 83°F on Nov. 27 (Ainsworth 2 miles NE)
Lowest air temperature: 8°F on Nov. 22 (Oakland 4 miles W)
Highest 5-second wind gust: 51 mph on Nov. 24 (Dunning 6 miles NW)
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