Central Nebraska logs 2+ inches of rain Monday, adds onto already wet year

KEARNEY, Neb. — A wet year for Central Nebraska continued with record-setting rainfall on Monday.

The Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island registered 2.07 inches of rain, which set a new record for July 1. But that wasn’t even the most rain recorded in the region. The Kearney Regional Airport reported 2.5 inches, which is more rain than the city received in the entire month of June. Stromsburg and Johnson Lake each logged nearly four inches of rain.

The heavy rain continued a trend of wet weather in the area, particularly in Grand Island. The National Weather Service says the city registered its wettest June since 2019. Before Monday’s storm, Grand Island had already seen 18.2 inches this year. That number is 4.23 inches more than normal. Both Hastings and Kearney entered Monday with slightly higher precipitation totals than normal.

Forecasters say the chance for rain will linger throughout the week, with the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday at the highest risk for heavy rain.