Powerful Pacific System Impacting the West; First Significant Snow for Portions of the East

Power Pacific system will continue to bring significant impacts for Pacific Northwest into northern California the remainder of the week. Dangerous coastal affects, heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow continues. Meanwhile, a storm across the east is set to bring the first accumulating snow to many higher elevations of the Catskills into the central Appalachians. Read More >

Overview:

(BE SURE TO CLICK THE VARIOUS TABS BELOW FOR A VARIETY OF APRIL 2017 CLIMATE INFORMATION!)

Recap of April 2017 for the NWS Hastings Coverage Area:
- Precipitation/Snowfall: April precipitation trends loosely resembled those of March, as the majority of the month was relatively dry in most of the 30-county area before a strong low pressure system brought widespread soaking rains to the entire area and even a late-season snow storm to northern/western counties. Please check out this story for much more detail on this major system that impacted our area April 28th-May 1st, as most places picked up 2.00-3.50" of much-needed liquid equivalent precipitation. For the month as a whole, the majority of the local area received somewhere between 90-150% of normal precipitation, but there were limited exceptions slightly above and below this. On the wetter side of things included official NWS sites such as Greeley (4.92") and Ord airport (4.25"), while on the drier side of the spectrum were St. Paul (1.58"), Ravenna (1.62") and Kearney airport (1.87").

Turning to snowfall, nearly all April snow was associated with the aforementioned, late-month storm, which dumped as much as 4-12" in several northern/western counties, and was actually the largest late-season snow on record for places such as Cambridge!

- Temperatures: While most of the month averaged well-above normal, the final six days from the 25th-30th, turned sharply colder, putting a major "dent" in the warm trend. For the month as a whole, most of the 30-county area ended up only slightly (0.5-2º) above normal. Looking in more detail at the end-of-month cold snap, most of the area averaged roughly 14º BELOW NORMAL from the 25th-30th, resulting in one of the Top-3 coldest finishes to April on record at places such as Grand Island and Hastings. The 30th was particularly cold, with nearly the entire 30-county area only topping out 35-40º. In terms of low temperatures, there were a couple of widespread freezes during the month, especially on the mornings of the 11th and 27th.

- Severe Thunderstorms: There were a few round of severe storms during the month, but no confirmed tornadoes. The vast majority of large hail and/or severe wind gusts occurred on the 9th, 14th, 18th and 19th. A few of the largest reported hail stones featured 2.5" diameter near Burr Oak KS on the evening of the 18th, with golf ball size hail reported near Loup City on the evening of the 14th. A lone severe storm on the late afternoon/evening of the 9th dropped a nearly continuous, west-east swath of 1-1.75" diameter hail across southern portions of South Central Nebraska, with some of the larger reports from the Holdrege, Blue Hill and Fairfield areas. The highest reported thunderstorm wind gust of the month was 72 MPH in western Gosper County on the afternoon of the 9th.

2017 Nebraska Cooperative Observer Precipitation Tables (around 45 sites)
2017 Kansas Cooperative Observer Precipitation Tables (around 18 sites)
(for the 2017 tables, data for the previous month usually gets updated by around the 15th of the current month)

2016 Nebraska Cooperative Observer Precipitation Tables (around 45 sites)
2016 Kansas Cooperative Observer Precipitation Tables (around 18 sites)

This graphic features a precipitation map for April 2017, along with a partial listing of totals from official NWS stations. (Click image to enlarge)

G. I./Hastings Details
Kearney
Ord
Smith Center, KS
Temp/Precip Departure From Normal
Drought Monitor
Local Extremes

Grand Island & Hastings Details (Including 12-Month History):

Detailed April 2017 info for Grand Island/Hastings
(Click to enlarge)


Grand Island Precipitation Summary: The green line indicates cumulative observed precipitation for April 2017.The brown line indicates "normal" April precipitation based on 30-year data from 1981-2010. (click to enlarge)	Hastings Precipitation Summary: The green line indicates cumulative observed precipitation for April 2017. The brown line indicates "normal" April precipitation based on 30-year data from 1981-2010. (click to enlarge)

Grand Island (Regional Airport) - May 2016 - April 2017

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

Average High (F)

71.9

89.6

87.0

84.4

78.8

70.7

57.3

37.3

34.6

50.8

54.4

63.1

Average Low (F)

48.5

63.2

65.1

62.7

55.0

42.6

32.7

14.5

17.9

24.8

30.0

39.2

Average Temperature (F)

60.2

76.4

76.0

73.5

66.9

56.7

45.0

25.9

26.3

37.8

42.2

51.1

Departure From Normal

-1.0

+5.1

-0.2

-0.5

+1.8

+4.5

+6.9

-0.8

+1.2

+8.7

+2.8

+0.5

Precipitation (in)

6.84

0.05

4.10

0.57

2.53

0.12

1.37

0.81

1.07

0.25

0.81

2.64

Departure From Normal

+2.43

-4.25

+0.70

-2.55

+0.30

-1.74

+0.20

+0.18

+0.54

-0.43

-0.99

+0.11

Snowfall (in)

0.0

0.4

1.4

2.4

3.5

1.2

T

Departure From Normal

0.0

-0.1

-1.0

-2.7

-3.7

-4.1

-2.8

-4.2

-1.5

Hastings (Municipal Airport) - May 2016 - April 2017

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

Average High (F)

71.0

89.1

87.7

84.9

78.6

71.3

57.4

37.7

35.7

51.4

55.4

63.4

Average Low (F)

48.9

64.0

66.0

63.4

56.1

44.0

34.2

15.6

19.4

25.8

31.3

40.7

Average Temperature (F)

59.9

76.5

76.9

74.1

67.3

57.6

45.8

26.6

27.6

38.6

43.4

52.1

Departure From Normal (F)

-1.4

+4.7

-0.2

+1.7

+5.0

+7.1

-1.0

+1.6

+8.7

+3.5

+1.4

Precipitation (in)

3.68

0.75

2.22

1.77

1.80

0.22

1.46

0.61

0.83

0.27

1.08

3.24

Departure From Normal (in)

-0.89

-3.05

-1.52

-1.53

-0.76

-1.77

+0.17

0.00

+0.42

-0.22

-0.71

+0.68

Snowfall (in)

0.0

0.1

1.0

3.7

4.3

1.2

0.2

Departure From Normal (in)

0.0

-0.2

-1.0

-2.5

-5.1

-2.3

-2.2

-4.0

-1.0

Kearney - 12 Month Climate History:

All data here is from the official NWS observer at Kearney airport, with 24-hour observations taken around 7 a.m. ** PLEASE NOTE: This official Kearney data differs somewhat from the unofficial data presented by the automated airport system (KEAR) **

Kearney Airport (Coop Observer) - May 2016 - April 2017

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

Average High (F)

69.5

87.4

86.4

84.3

79.3

70.8

58.6

37.8

36.9

50.0

54.6

62.5

Average Low (F)

46.6

61.7

63.4

61.8

53.0

40.8

33.4

14.8

19.5

24.1

28.6

38.8

Average Temperature (F)

58.1

74.6

74.9

73.1

66.2

55.8

46.0

26.3

28.2

37.1

41.6

50.7

Departure From Normal (F)

+1.4

+4.8

+0.2

+0.5

+2.7

+4.9

+9.0

+0.4

+3.6

+9.0

+3.9

+2.0

Precipitation (in)

2.30

0.61

3.38

1.47

1.20

0.12

1.56

0.90

0.30

1.63

1.87

Departure From Normal (in)

-1.88

-3.32

+0.10

-1.61

-0.87

-1.92

+0.54

+0.33

+0.41

-0.25

-0.16

-0.36

Snowfall (in)

0.0

0.2

1.0

4.5

5.2

0.7

T

Departure From Normal (in)

0.0

-0.2

-0.7

-2.9

-2.5

+0.1

-3.9

-1.8

Ord - 12 Month Climate History:

Winter precipitation totals often include NWS Cooperative Observer data due to the automated airport equipment under-measuring snowfall liquid equivalent.

Ord (Evelyn Sharp Field Airport) - May 2016 - April 2017

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

Average High (F)

71.1

86.8

85.2

83.6

77.2

70.3

56.7

37.6

34.1

48.4

53.7

61.7

Average Low (F)

45.7

MSG

62.3

60.4

MSG

37.4

28.1

9.3

14.2

19.8

28.7

37.9

Average Temperature (F)

58.4

MSG

73.8

72.0

MSG

53.8

42.4

23.5

24.1

34.1

41.2

49.8

Departure From Normal (F)

-0.9

MSG

-0.6

-1.0

MSG

+4.2

+6.1

-1.4

-0.5

+6.3

+3.5

+1.0

Precipitation (in)

5.05

3.52

6.66

0.44

1.70

0.09

1.26

0.41

1.15

0.79

1.83

4.25

Departure From Normal (in)

+1.24

-0.60

+3.69

-2.72

-0.74

-1.84

+0.19

-0.18

+0.78

+0.35

+0.38

+1.66

Snowfall (in)

0.0

3.0

2.7

11.9

10.4

1.9

1.0

Departure From Normal (in)

0.0

-1.1

-2.3

-4.7

+5.1

+4.4

-4.0

-1.5

Smith Center, KS - 12 Month Climate History:

All data is from the official NWS observer, with 24-hour observations taken around 7 a.m. As a result, data may vary slightly from true "Calendar Day" totals.

Smith Center KS (NWS Coop Observer) - May 2016 - April 2017

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

Average High (F)

72.7

91.7

90.5

86.5

81.3

73.9

61.0

38.7

39.0

53.4

58.5

65.4

Average Low (F)

48.6

63.0

66.1

62.8

55.6

43.5

32.9

14.2

18.5

24.2

30.2

40.0

Average Temperature (F)

60.7

77.4

78.3

74.7

68.5

58.7

47.0

26.5

28.7

38.8

44.4

52.7

Departure From Normal (F)

-3.7

+3.4

-1.4

-2.5

+0.3

+3.9

+6.6

-2.3

+1.0

+6.8

+2.8

+0.2

Precipitation (in)

4.38

3.11

6.07

5.13

5.07

0.09

0.99

0.56

1.46

0.27

1.26

3.32

Departure From Normal (in)

+0.46

-0.50

+2.20

+1.83

+3.03

-1.79

-0.23

-0.10

+0.97

-0.31

-0.61

+1.05

Snowfall (in)

0.0

3.1

1.1

1.8

0.2

0.0

Departure From Normal (in)

0.0

-0.2

-0.4

-1.8

-0.1

-2.6

-2.3

-2.4

-0.6

Area Temperature & Precipitation Departure From Normal Maps:

These images depict April 2017 monthly temperature departure from normal & precipitation percent-of-normal for both Nebraska & Kansas. Images are courtesy of the High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC). Click images to enlarge.


Departure from Normal Temperature - NE (left) & KS (right)		Percent of Normal Precipitation - NE (left) & KS (right)

Drought:

The following drought images, current as of May 2, 2017, are courtesy of the U.S. Drought Monitor

Brief summary of changes since one month ago for the NWS Hastings coverage area:
Thanks to at least slightly above normal precipitation across the majority of the local area (most of which fell during the final few days), the vast majority of the NWS Hastings coverage area saw the removal of the fairly widespread coverage of Abnormally Dry (category D0) that existed a month ago (a small, long-lasting "bullseye" of Moderate Drought (D1) was also removed from the Kearney County area). Mainly because of modest, longer-term deficits over the past 3+ months as a whole, a small area of D0 was introduced for primarily portions of Hall, Hamilton and York counties. In summary though, over 90% of our coverage area was completely void of drought categories as of early May.


Drought Monitor for Nebraska (left) & Kansas (right). Valid as of May 2, 2017 (click to enlarge)

Monthly Extremes for the NWS Hastings Coverage Area:

...A FEW OF THE WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURES DURING APRIL 2017...
(all data from NWS cooperative observers or automated airport sites, with date of actual occurrence specified in parentheses)
91 degrees...Webster Dam KS (19th)
89 degrees...Cambridge (14th)
88 degrees...Smith Center KS (19th) - Beloit KS (19th)
87 degrees...Burr Oak KS (19th) - Superior (19th)

...A FEW OF THE COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURES DURING APRIL 2017...
(all data from NWS cooperative observers or automated airport sites and occurred on the 11th unless specified)
22 degrees...Ravenna - Grand Island airport - Greeley - Superior (27th) - Beaver City
23 degrees...Hastings airport - Edison - 3N York
24 degrees...Red Cloud (27th) - Minden - Franklin (27th) - Ord airport - Hebron - Cambridge - Osceola

...A FEW OF THE HIGHEST MONTHLY PRECIPITATION TOTALS DURING APRIL 2017...
(all data from NWS cooperative observers or automated airport sites unless specified, and MAY INCLUDE SOME PRECIP THAT ACTUALLY FELL MAY 1st)
4.92"...Greeley
4.66"...Covert KS
4.58"...2W Genoa
4.33...Osborne KS (CoCoRaHS observer)
4.25"...Ord airport (automated ASOS)

...A FEW OF THE LOWEST MONTHLY PRECIPITATION TOTALS DURING APRIL 2017...
(all data from NWS cooperative observers or automated airport sites unless specified, and MAY NOT INCLUDE ALL PRECIPITATION THAT FELL APRIL 30th)
1.58"...St. Paul
1.62"...Ravenna
1.75"...3W Gresham
1.76"...Polk
1.87"...Kearney airport (NWS observer)

...A FEW OF THE HIGHEST MONTHLY SNOWFALL TOTALS DURING APRIL 2017...
(all data from NWS cooperative observers unless specified, and MAY INCLUDE A LITTLE SNOW THAT ACTUALLY FELL ON MAY 1st)
12.0"...6SW Lexington (CoCoRaHS observer)
10.0"...4ESE Sumner (CoCoRaHS observer) - 10NNE Arapahoe (CoCoRaHS observer) - 2W Arcadia
9.1"...6W Elyria (CoCoRaHS observer)
9.0"...Wilsonville
8.5"...9NW Ord (CoCoRaHS observer)

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Powerful Pacific System Impacting the West; First Significant Snow for Portions of the East

April 2017: Precipitation/Temperature Summary For Our 30-County Coverage Area (South Central NE/North Central KS)