Third warmest
The average March statewide temperature in Nebraska was 46.8°F, which was the third warmest on record and 11.0°F above the 20th century average. It was the warmest March on record in the U.S. (narrowly beating out 2012) and was the warmest on record for most of the western U.S., including parts of western Nebraska.
Figure 1. March 2026 temperature percentiles
Fifth driest
March precipitation for Nebraska averaged 0.34", fifth driest on record and 0.94 below the 20th century average. Only a small area around West Point was around average and the area around McCook was driest on record (Fig. 2). The very dry conditions led to considerable drought degradation and was a major contributor to the record acres burned in wildfires (Fig. 3). March 2026 had almost double the amount of burned acres as the previous annual record, which was set in 2012.
Figure 2. March 2026 precipitation percentiles
Figure 3. Acres burned in Nebraska by year. Data from National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.
Last four months a statistical outlier
We had record amounts of cold season drought expansion in large part due to how exceptional this winter and early spring was for both temperature. The previous four months were simultaneously the driest on record and the warmest on record for a December-March period.
