July 12th - 18th Weekly Climate Summary

Day by Day

    The week of July 12th through the 18th was awfully and eerily quiet on the severe weather front. However, that does not paint the full picture of threats to agriculture and society. 
    The week started with pleasant conditions, with high temperatures in the mid-80s. Scattered clouds and extremely isolated rainfall were present in much of Eastern Nebraska, resulting in about an inch of rain in Milford, Springfield, and Central Omaha. 
    Throughout the next 5 days, upper-level ridging from the West Coast to the East Coast kept a strong surface high pressure across most of the state. This, along with warm air advection from the Rockies into the western Great Plains, caused temperatures to gradually rise throughout the week and for dry conditions to be maintained in Eastern and Central Nebraska.
    In some places, temperatures were maintained at a very high temperature throughout the week. Chadron reached 103°F on both the 12th and the 18th, with areas in the Panhandle reaching similar temperatures. High heat and a lack of rainfall added additional stress on agriculture and towards the ever-present drought in Western Nebraska, however the drought monitor does not yet reflect this.
    Additional rainfall fell in Eastern Nebraska in very isolated clusters on the 17th. Along the I-80 corridor between Lincoln and Omaha, there are reports of about 1 to 1.2 inches of rain followed by reports of no rain even though recording sites could be less than a mile away. This is a result of a phenomenon called diurnally driven showers as a result of diurnal convection. This is when solar rays throughout the morning and early afternoon heats the ground and air above it, resulting in rising air condensing into cumulus clouds, eventually creating heavy, but brief, downpours and thunderstorms. 
 

Weekly Statistics and Figures

An increase in drought for parts Northwestern and Central Nebraska is possible following another week of limited rainfall and high temperatures. 

Maximum Temperature

Minimum Temperature

Precipitation

Station Summary Table