A mid-month blizzard stuck Nebraska, dropping between 8 inches and 2 feet of snow across the southern Panhandle and northcentral Nebraska. The snow affected calving season, where some places were short shelter equipment for their livestock. April also was persistently cold, especially in the east where temperatures averaged about 10 degrees below normal.
April started with exceptionally cold air across a large section of the northern and central High Plains, as well as most of the central and eastern Corn Belt. Here in Nebraska, the first week saw average temperatures as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal, while western Nebraska averaged 8-15 degrees below normal. These are the types of temperatures we would expect at the start of March, not April.Thankfully, the brief period of above-normal temperatures that developed this week across the state gives us hope that the worst of the cold conditions are behind us.
March saw plenty of variety, offering up rain, snow, hail and variable temperatures. Precipitation totals were heaviest in east-central Nebraska, where Omaha metro area received more than 3 inches of rain. To learn more about how this month’s climate effected Nebraskans, read the March edition of the Climate Update from the Nebraska State Climate Office.
Here you’ll find our spring edition of the Climate Crossroads, the quarterly newsletter from the Nebraska State Climate Office.
Winter held on tight this February, with portions of southwest, central and northeast Nebraska seeing plenty of snow to go hand-in-hand with the below-average temperatures. To learn more about how this month’s climate effected Nebraskans, read the February edition of the Climate Update from the Nebraska State Climate Office.
Temperatures were well below normal during the first week of the New Year, with temperatures breaking records in some parts of the state. Toward the end of the month, a blizzard crossed Nebraska, dropping 8- to 14-inches in some locations. Despite the widespread snow, abnormal dryness lingered for much of the state. Read more about what January's climate conditions meant for Nebraskans in this month's edition of the Climate Update.
Wait eight hours; the weather will change.
The common Midwestern saying couldn’t be more accurate than it is for Nebraska where climate variability is the norm, bringing high highs and low lows and wind gusts that can tear off roofs.
Last year was no different, bringing a 129-degree spread between the highest temperature and the lowest recorded by a Nebraska Mesonet weather station. It also brought a 52-degree 24-hour temperature change, a 4.3-inch rain, and a -37°F wind chill, all recorded by one of the 65 Nebraska weather stations.
A group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers have banded together with the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, to help municipalities across the Midwest plan for changes in climate.
The projected changes have implications for public planning, utilities, city budgets and public health, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the young, elderly and poor. The project is intended to help cities determine where to invest their limited dollars to match future needs of their communities.
December started the month with temperatures above normal, but ended with frigid temperatures after an Arctic airmass settled over the eastern two-thirds of the mainland United States. Precipitation was below average, and the U.S. Drought Monitor showed much of the state now in the pre-drought or abnormally dry category. Learn more about what December's climate conditions meant for Nebraskans in this month's edition of the Climate Update.
Here you’ll find our winter edition of the Climate Crossroads, the quarterly newsletter from the Nebraska State Climate Office. As we reflected on the past year, we discovered our engagement with our stakeholders across the state grew immensely since our first year; and in case you don’t know, we officially turn 2 on Jan. 1.
Also in this edition:
