Record warm nights in September

by Eric Hunt, University of Nebraska Extension

September 28, 2026

U.S. map showing climate district temperature rankings, with red indicating hottest areas in late summer 2026. — Average temperature ranks by climate division

Record temperatures

Table 1 shows the summary of temperature and precipitation for September (as of the 27th). Temperatures have been well above average statewide but the persistent cloud cover and rain the past two weeks has kept the maximum temperatures below record levels. Average temperatures for the month are well above average and generally top 5 warm, but only Falls City is likely to have a record warm September. However, the average minimum daily temperatures are going to be the warmest on record for September for almost all sites in Nebraska. Exception are a few sites in the Panhandle but Alliance and Scottsbluff are still near record levels. Almost all of the locations in the state are showing average minimum temperatures that are normal in August and not uncommon in a milder July. Very "August-Light" you could say.

Station	Station ID	Avg Max Temp	Avg Min Temp	Avg Temp	Max Temp	Min Temp	GDD base 50	HDD base 65	CDD base 65	Days Max > 90F	Days Min > 70F	Total Precip
ALLIANCE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT ASOS	KAIA	79.6	53.4	66.5	96	45	446	50	90	4	0	2.72
BROKEN BOW MUNICIPAL AP	KBBW	77.9	58.3	68.1	96	49	488	43	126	2	0	1.72
CHADRON MUNICIPAL AP	KCDR	82.9	53.6	68.2	100	40	492	38	125	7	0	2.48
COLUMBUS	KOLU	79.0	63.4	71.2	95	54	530	30	185	7	4	3.64
FALLS CITY BRENNER FIELD	KFNB	85.6	64.5	75.1	100	56	676	3	274	11	9	6.37
GRAND ISLAND CENTRAL NE REGIONAL AP	KGRI	81.1	62.7	71.9	99	53	591	24	210	9	6	3.90
HASTINGS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT	KHSI	81.5	63.5	72.5	98	55	608	17	220	8	7	4.73
HOLDREGE BREWSTER FIELD AP	KHDE	84.2	63.6	73.9	99	56	574	10	224	10	1	N/A
IMPERIAL MUNICIPAL AP	KIML	84.9	58.5	71.7	98	50	586	14	195	11	0	0.73
LINCOLN AIRPORT	KLNK	83.0	64.9	73.9	101	55	646	10	252	9	9	5.33
MCCOOK MUNICIPAL AP	KMCK	83.0	61.9	72.4	100	55	606	10	210	10	1	3.57
NORFOLK KARL STEFAN MEMORIAL AP	KOFK	78.1	61.6	69.9	96	51	536	36	166	7	1	2.98
NORTH PLATTE REGIONAL AP	KLBF	81.0	58.4	69.7	96	51	532	26	154	7	0	2.00
OMAHA EPPLEY AIRFIELD	KOMA	81.8	64.8	73.3	98	57	630	16	241	9	8	6.91
ORD EVELYN SHARP FIELD	KODX	78.2	60.0	69.1	96	49	516	36	148	2	0	2.19
SCOTTSBLUFF W B HEILIG FIELD AP	KBFF	83.8	54.0	68.9	98	44	511	20	126	7	0	0.77
SIDNEY MUNICIPAL AP	KSNY	83.0	56.0	69.5	96	47	526	21	142	5	0	1.76
TEKAMAH MUNICIPAL AP	KTQE	78.4	61.7	70.1	94	52	542	31	168	5	3	4.72
VALENTINE MILLER FIELD AP	KVTN	79.6	56.7	68.1	97	47	490	56	141	5	1	2.71

Table 1. Temperature and precipitation summary for sites around Nebraska for September 2026. Bold values indicate temperatures that will set new record warm minimum temperatures.

In addition, the lowest temperature this month has been 50°F or greater for most sites outside the Panhandle and northern Sand Hills. For most locations outside Omaha, this will be the first time we have ever gone through the month of September without dropping at least into the 40's. The most egregious case is North Platte which has had a minimum temperature of 51°F this month and is not forecast to drop below that before Wednesday night. The previous warmest minimum temperature on record is 43°F (2019) and the long-term average coldest temperature in September is 32°.

This warmth has not been unique to Nebraska either. Much of the central U.S. has experienced record warm or near-record warm minimum temperatures in September 2026. The upper air pattern featured a strong upper-level ridge across the southern U.S. and a jet stream that stayed well to the north of our region. This helped keep any cooler dry air out of our area and with the ridge riding rains/storms, much of the state and Corn Belt has been quite wet. There is a chance Lincoln will have its wettest September on record and other locations will certainly be top-5. El Nino is showing its signal through the increased moisture and the persistence of humid, warm weather. But the warm temperatures this month are also part of a trend toward much warmer early fall seasons as our planet warms because of climate change.