May 9-June 15, 2008: Record Rainfall

Many...from farmers to outdoor enthusiasts and emergency managers...have taken up shaking their fists at the clouds and asking when the recent rains will let up. It appears they have some justification with nearly daily occurrences of thunderstorms spawning severe weather and flooding from heavy rain. When looking at climate data...the accumulated rainfall over the past 28 days ranks 1st for two of the Tri-Cities in south-central Nebraska and will likely be revealed for other surrounding cities when the data are tallied at the end of the month.

Climatologically...the period around the 9th of May through the 15th of June is the wettest time of the year for our area...averaging around 13 to 14 hundredths of an inch of rain per day. A quick comparison of this year’s totals... from May 9th through June 5th...reveals the past 28 days have been the wettest 28 days during the local "rainy season" since weather records were first officially taken at Grand Island and Kearney.

The 30-day outlook for June continues to paint a soggy picture from north-central into central and eastern Nebraska with above normal precipitation expected...but with near normal conditions anticipated in July and August.

The tables below show how the past 28 days stack up against the same period in previous years.

...Grand Island...Since 1894...

Rank	Amount	Year
1	13.31	2008
2	10.65	1935
3	10.12	1903

...Kearney...Since 1894...

Rank	Amount	Year
1	10.30	2008
2	9.85	1935
3	8.65	1905

...Hastings...Since 1894...

For Hastings...2008 Total ranks 7th wettest at 7.08 inches.

Rank	Amount	Year
1	11.13	1965
2	10.41	1903
3	10.32	1915