NWS reports on 2023 precipitation

Although not as severely dry as the previous year, 2023 was another overall-drier-than-normal year for most of the 30 counties served by the National Weather Service office at Hastings. The weather service has reported about 75 perecent of the area received at least slightly below normal precipitation, with counties east of Highway 281 the overall-driest. Of the approximately one-fourth of the 30-county area that received slightly above normal precipitation, it was almost entirely concentrated within counties west of Highway 281. The majority of the area tallied between 20 and 27 inches of precipitation, or generally 75 to 100 percent of the 30-year normal. Most places received between eight inches below normal annual precipitation to one inch above nor-mal annual precipitation. 

Around 75 percent of the area registered at least slightly below normal for the year. Based on data from dozens of observers and also radar-estimated analysis, some places especially within the central and eastern counties fell at least six inches short of normal while about 25 percent of the 30-county area received at least slightly above normal precipitation...most heavily concentrated within portions of counties west of the Highway 281 corridor.

Total 2023 precipitation for selected loctions includes Superior, 20.3, Blue Hill, 21.99, Clay Center, 24.32, Hastings, 21.54, Hebron, 22.79, Red Cloud, 26.16, Beloit, 22.52, Cawker City, 20.86, Ionia 22.69, Lovewell Dam, 27.85 and Lebanon, 29.57. The reporting station with the lowest precipitation total was the Grand Island Airport with 16.53. The observer at Harlan County Lake reported the most at 29.43.