Nebraska Climate
Top 5 Cities: Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, and Kearney
This month in numbers
Nebraska experienced its warmest January–March period on record, with an average temperature of 3.06°C, an astounding 5.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This also marks the 1st warmest January–March for maximum temperatures, at 11.5°C, which is 7°C above average. March 2026 alone was the 2nd warmest March on record for both average temperature (8.22°C, +5.9°C anomaly) and maximum temperature (17.5°C, +8.5°C anomaly). In stark contrast, precipitation for March was the 73rd driest on record, at just 8.64 mm, a deficit of 30.4 mm. The January–March period was the 76th driest on record, with only 7.45 mm of precipitation, 14.1 mm below average.
What changed
This exceptionally warm and dry start to the year in Nebraska stands out dramatically. The December 2025-March 2026 period was the warmest and driest on record, a combination unprecedented in 131 years of state weather data. This has led to significant drought degradation across the state, with extreme drought reintroduced to northeast Nebraska in early March. Nationally, the US also experienced its 2nd warmest February–April on record for global land temperature. Nebraska's 3-month anomaly ranks 3rd warmest out of 234 regions globally, highlighting the severity of the conditions here.
What’s driving change?
The current climate conditions in Nebraska are being influenced by several factors. The state's warming trend is consistent with the broader phenomenon of land warming faster than ocean, as continental regions tend to heat up more rapidly. The ongoing drought conditions are also being amplified by , where the lack of moisture prevents evaporative cooling, leading to higher temperatures. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026, there is a strong forecast for El Niño to develop in the coming months, with a 79% probability for June-August. This past winter's record warmth and dryness also contributed to a record number of acres burned by wildfires in March, almost double the previous annual record set in 2012. Nebraska has also experienced two drought events and one flood event in the past 12 months, with the recent occurrences representing 100% of the annual total for each, an unusual concentration of extreme weather events. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center's outlook for April through July suggests that drought conditions are projected to continue or develop across the Central and Southern Plains, including Nebraska, with little to no rebuilding of moisture expected.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Nebraska
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Nebraska changing?
Nebraska is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Nebraska come from?
Climate data for Nebraska comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Nebraska climate data cover?
The Nebraska climate profile covers Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island and surrounding areas. Nebraska climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Nebraska climate update refreshed?
The Nebraska climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.