Regional Breakdown

April brought slightly cooler temperatures to the region; however, precipitation was still well below normal outside of a few areas. Drought continues to be a significant issue, particularly in the western half of the High Plains. Severe weather began to ramp up as well, predominantly in eastern Kansas.

Between the overall lack of precipitation and historically warm temperatures since last fall, agriculture is struggling within the region. In Nebraska, over 80 percent of winter wheat production in the state is in extreme drought (D3), the highest percentage since 2012. Crop conditions reflect that, with 67 percent of winter wheat rated as poor to very poor. Colorado and Kansas are slightly better, with over 40 percent rated as poor to very poor in both states. Pasture conditions are also abysmal in the west, with over 50 percent rated poor to very poor in Colorado and Wyoming, while Nebraska is the worst at 72 percent. Soil moisture is also exceptionally low, with most of southern Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle in the fifth percentile at the end of April.

April is typically a fairly active month for severe weather in the region; however, most activity this month was limited to eastern Kansas. Among the hardest hit by these storms were the southern portions of Kansas City. Miami County had seven tornado warnings issued this month, more than the last ten years combined, and the most in a single month. Hail up to 4 inches (10.16 cm), and wind gusts over 80 mph (129 km/h) ravaged the area in the back half of the month as well. Most of this activity occurred in a stretch along the northern half of the county, impacting towns such as Hillsdale, Spring Hill, and Bucyrus. Kansas as a whole this year had the fourth most tornado warnings issued in April, despite not a single one being issued west of Hutchinson.

Temperature and Precipitation Overview

Above: Departure from 1991-2020 normal temperature (left) and percent of normal precipitation (right) for April 2026 in the High Plains region. Maps are produced by the High Plains Regional Climate Center and are available at: http://hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current

Precipitation

April continued the disappointing trend of below normal precipitation for many, with only a few areas reporting normal or above normal precipitation. The driest areas continue to be the western half of Kansas and Nebraska, as well as eastern Colorado and Wyoming. Some locations in those areas have had below 0.50 inches (1.27 cm) of moisture since the beginning of this year.

Precipitation in Kansas this month was once again at both extremes. Areas east of Salina were at near-record to record wet, while the western half of the state was exceptionally dry. Down in the southeastern corner, Columbus observed 13.77 inches (34.98 cm) of rain to rank as the wettest April for the station and the 7th wettest out of any station in the state. In the central part of the state, a stretch north of Manhattan from Frankfort to Waterville reported between 10.20 and 13.16 inches (25.91 and 33.43 cm). As you head further west, precipitation totals rapidly decrease from modest amounts to near-zero. Along the border with Colorado, the Sharon Springs area was below 0.05 inches (1.27 mm), while nearby Wallace only fared slightly better with 0.37 inches (9.4 mm). Other notable locations in western Kansas that were below 0.50 inches (1.27 cm) in April included Atwood, Colby, and Dodge City.

Moving across the border into Colorado, the plains and Front Range were equally dry. Greeley and Loveland ranked as the 3rd driest, with both locations reporting less than 0.25 inches (6.35 mm). Nearby Fort Collins and Longmont were the 8th driest, with 0.36 and 0.31 inches (9.14 and 7.87 mm) of precipitation this month, respectively. In the southern half of the state, Ordway and Crestone ranked 5th with less than 0.20 inches (5.08 mm) this month. Looking at the year-to-date totals, 20 stations experienced their driest January to April. Of those, the driest is undoubtedly Campo with only 0.29 inches (7.37 mm) so far this year.

To the north in Wyoming, precipitation was hard to come by outside of the southwestern corner. Cheyenne ranked 5th driest with only 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) this month. Others, such as Basin, were even less fortunate and recorded trace amounts to tie for driest. Since November, Basin has only received 0.34 inches (8.64 cm) of precipitation to rank as the driest six-month period for the station, with records dating back to 1898. Looking at year-to-date for the state, Casper ranks sixth, while Gillette, Thermopolis, and Shoshoni all rank in the top three.

Regional Precipitation

Above: Total precipitation in inches (left) and departure from normal precipitation in inches (right) for April 2026. Maps are produced by HPRCC and can be found on the Current Climate Summary Maps page at: http://hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current.

Temperatures

Temperatures this month were slightly cooler compared to how abnormally warm it has been the past few months. For the first time in a while, widespread below-normal temperatures were present in northern South Dakota and across North Dakota. Eastern Kansas was still relatively warm, with temperatures up to 8 degrees F (4.4 degrees C) above normal.

Kansas was the hotspot this month, taking the honors from Colorado and Wyoming. For most within the state, it was close to or within the top ten warmest Aprils. Notable long-term (30 or more years of data) stations recording their warmest April on record were spread across the state, including Hutchinson, Girard, and Johnson City. Those falling within the top three were very notable, with Salina, Russell, Emporia, and Marysville among them. This was primarily driven by warm highs statewide, where major locations such as Dodge City, Goodland, Topeka, and Salina all ranked in the top ten. Particularly in the western half of the state, this was noticeable, where there were up to 17 days this month when the high was 80 degrees F (26.7 degrees C) or warmer. Looking further back, this year so far has been incredibly warm for Kansas. Most stations throughout the state are in the top five warmest, with Atwood, Colby, Dodge City, and Goodland currently having their warmest year on record.

Another state nearby that has been exceptionally warm this year is Colorado. This month was relatively cooler, with only five stations in the state recording their warmest April. Nearly all the major locations in the state, such as Denver, were outside the top ten, which was a welcome change. Despite this, the state is still in the midst of its warmest year by a long shot. Alamosa exemplifies it best, with the average temperature from January to April being 35.9 degrees F (2.2 degrees C), nearly 2 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) above the previous record in 1934. Just slightly to the north, Colorado Springs is close to 1.5 degrees F (0.8 degrees C) above its previous record in 2012. This same pattern is also present in the Rockies, with places such as the notable skiing town of Steamboat Springs an absurd 2.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees C) above its previous record.

While not nearly as warm as Colorado and Kansas this month, both Wyoming and Nebraska are having historically warm years. In Wyoming, most locations were record warm or close to it from January through April. Lander had a record-breaking average temperature of 40.1 degrees F (4.5 degrees C) during this period, which was 3.2 degrees F (1.8 degrees C) above the previous record in 2012. Cheyenne has nearly 153 years of records dating back to 1873, and this year is still 2.2 degrees F (1.2 degrees C) warmer than the previous record. The story is similar in western Nebraska, with Chadron, Imperial, McCook, and Scottsbluff all ranking as the warmest.  Elsewhere in the state, Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln, North Platte, and Valentine are all within the top five warmest.

Drought Conditions

While the ample precipitation in the eastern half of the High Plains led to some improvements, drought continues to deteriorate in the western half. Eastern Colorado and western Kansas experienced widespread degradation after missing out on most of the moisture this month. Overall, the percentage of the region in D0 to D4 (abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions) decreased by just over 2.5 percent.

Drought conditions in Nebraska have slowly deteriorated since last fall, with the western half of the state nearly engulfed by D3 (extreme drought conditions). At the end of the month, more than 57 percent of the state was in D3, which is the highest percentage since 2022. D4 was also introduced just northeast of Sidney for the first time in several years. The eastern half of the state has received some moisture in recent weeks, which has helped ease conditions, but most of the state is still in significant precipitation deficits.

At the end of April, the entire state of Colorado was in at least D1 (moderate drought), which is a first since late December of 2021. The large area of D4 in the western half of the state was slightly reduced this month; however, close to 18 percent remains under this category. D2 also expanded significantly, with close to 90 percent of the state covered and the highest percentage since early 2021. Most of the degradation this month was along the Front Range, with cities such as Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins now in D3.

The past few months have been less than ideal for western Kansas, with March being bone-dry and April bringing only little amounts of moisture. D2 covers most counties west of Salina, while D3 has begun to creep in from the northwestern and southwestern corners. On the opposite side of the state, most areas are drought-free after this month’s rainfall. Elsewhere in the region, both improvements and degradation were observed. According to the Climate Prediction Center’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for May, drought is likely to persist throughout most of the region.

U.S. Drought Monitor	Drought Monitor 1-Month Change

The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced as a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Drought Mitigation Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For current Drought Monitor information, please see: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Climate Outlooks

According to the Climate Prediction Center, a La Niña Advisory and an El Niño Watch are present.  For more information, visit: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

The National Weather Service’s long-range flood outlook indicates increased chances of minor flooding and a few areas of moderate flooding in Kansas through the end of July. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), fire potential will be elevated in Colorado and Wyoming in June, July, and August.  

The seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks presented below combine the effects of long-term trends, soil moisture, and, when applicable, the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle (ENSO). To learn more about these outlooks, please visit http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.

Temperature

The three-month temperature outlook shows an increased chance of above-normal temperatures across the majority of the United States. In the High Plains, warmer temperatures are favored everywhere except the eastern portions of the Dakotas.

Precipitation

The precipitation outlook for the next three months indicates above-normal precipitation along the eastern seaboard and the southwest, while below-normal precipitation is favored for the western United States. Below-normal precipitation is favored for the drought-stricken states of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Drought

The U.S Seasonal Drought Outlook released on April 30th indicates drought will likely intensify and develop across South Dakota.