LINCOLN NEBRASKA IN 2004 "Warmer and Drier than Normal"

Lincoln Year 2004 Average Temperature =  51.8 F,  (normal = 51.1 F): 
Lincoln Year 2004 Total Precipitation = 23.49 inches (normal = 28.37 inches)

Full description follows the table of statistics.

High Plains Regional Climate Center 2004 STATISTICS
 

LINCOLN YEARLY CLIMATE SUMMARY -- Prepared and released by:
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
232 PM CST SAT JAN 1 2005

...2004 YEARLY SUMMARY FOR LINCOLN...

ON THE WHOLE...2004 WAS A MILD AND DRY YEAR IN LINCOLN.

THE YEAR BEGAN SNOWY AND SOMEWHAT COLDER THAN NORMAL.  JANUARY
HIGH TEMPERATURES VARIED WIDELY...FROM NEAR RECORD LOWER 60S
ON THE 2ND AND 23RD...TO ONLY 3 ABOVE ON THE 28TH AND 29TH.
SNOWFALL TOTALLED 15.3 INCHES...THE 5TH HIGHEST ON RECORD.
MOST OF IT CAME IN TWO STORMS...5.0 INCHES ON THE 3RD AND 4TH...
AND 10.1 INCHES ON THE 25TH AND 26TH.  EARLY FEBRUARY REMAINED
COLD AND SNOWY.  THE MONTHLY TOTAL OF 13.5 INCHES ALL FELL DURING 
THE FIRST 6 DAYS...AS TWO STORMS DEPOSITED 5.7 INCHES ON THE 1ST AND 
2ND...FOLLOWED BY 7.4 INCHES ON THE 5TH AND 6TH.  THE SERIES OF 
STORMS RESULTED IN AN ACCUMULATION TO A DEPTH OF 18 INCHES ON THE 
6TH...BUT THIS WAS THE LAST MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE WINTER.  AFTER 
MID FEBRUARY...THE COLD GRADUALLY EASED.  THIS RESULTED IN A GENTLE 
THAW AND AVOIDED SIGNIFICANT FLOODING. 

SPRING WAS GENERALLY MILD AND ON THE DRY SIDE.  MARCH WAS THE ONLY 
MONTH WITH ADEQUATE RAINFALL...AS THE TOTAL OF 2.83 INCHES WAS 0.62 
INCH ABOVE NORMAL.  THE DAILY TOTAL OF 0.98 INCH ON THE 27TH SET A 
DAILY RECORD.  THE MARCH TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 45.0 DEGREES...5.6 
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...AND TIED WITH 1935 FOR THE 9TH WARMEST ON 
RECORD.  ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES WERE PERSISTENTLY MILD...THE ONLY
DAILY RECORD CAME ON THE 26TH WITH A MILD LOW OF 58.  APRIL WAS 
QUITE DRY...WITH ONLY 0.92 INCH OF PRECIPITATION.  THIS WAS 1.98 
INCHES BELOW NORMAL.  THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 53.4 DEGREES WAS 
2.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  A HIGH OF 90 ON THE 17TH SET A NEW DAILY 
RECORD. AS USUAL...APRIL HAD SOME WINDY DAYS.  WINDS AVERAGED 27 MPH 
ON THE 18TH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 56 MPH.  DRIER AND WARMER THAN NORMAL 
WEATHER CONTINUED IN MAY.  THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 64.5 DEGREES 
WAS 2.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  HOWEVER...THE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 26 
ON THE 3RD...ONLY A DEGREE ABOVE THE RECORD.  THIS WAS ALSO THE LAST 
SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURE OF THE SPRING...10 DAYS LATER THAN AVERAGE. 
RAINFALL OF 3.04 INCHES WAS 1.19 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. 

A THUNDERSTORM ON MAY 5TH BROUGHT A WIND GUST OF 69 MPH.  THIS WAS 
THE ONLY SEVERE WEATHER FOR LINCOLN IN MAY.  THE SOUTHERN PART OF 
LANCASTER COUNTY WAS NOT SO LUCKY.  THERE WERE SEVERAL INSTANCES OF 
FLOODING AND HAIL...BUT BY FAR THE MOST DAMAGING WAS A TORNADO ON 
THE 22ND THAT LAID OUT A LONG PATH OF DAMAGE.  IT DEVASTATED A SWATH 
UP TO 2.5 MILES WIDE AS IT DESTROYED THE TOWN OF HALLAM. 

SOMEWHAT DRIER THAN NORMAL WEATHER CONTINUED THROUGH THE 
SUMMER...BUT TEMPERATURES WERE WELL BELOW NORMAL.  THE JUNE AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 68.9 DEGREES WAS 3.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. 
TEMPERATURES WERE NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE 17TH...BUT PERSISTENTLY 
COOL LATER IN THE MONTH.  LOW TEMPERATURES OF 47 DEGREES ON THE 
24TH...AND 42 ON THE 25TH...WERE BOTH NEW RECORDS.  A WIND GUST TO 
63 MPH WAS RECORDED DURING A THUNDERSTORM ON THE 12TH.  JULY 
REMAINED COOL WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 73.6 DEGREES...4.2 
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  A MAXIMUM OF 71 DEGREES ON THE 7TH TIED A 
DAILY RECORD...BUT THE COOLEST WEATHER CAME LATE IN THE MONTH.
LOWS OF 51 ON THE 25TH AND 49 ON THE 26TH WERE BOTH RECORDS.
THE HIGH WAS ONLY 66 DEGREES ON THE 24TH...WHICH WAS 24 DEGREES 
BELOW NORMAL.  THIS WAS A NEW DAILY RECORD AND ONLY 2 DEGREES FROM
THE MONTHLY RECORD.  PRECIPITATION WAS FREQUENT BUT LIGHT DURING 
JULY.  A STREAK OF 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH WAS A JULY RECORD...BUT THE MONTHLY
RAINFALL TOTAL WAS ONLY 2.75 INCHES...0.79 INCH BELOW NORMAL.
COOLER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL PREVAILED AGAIN IN AUGUST.  AN 
EXCEPTION WAS A HIGH OF 101 ON THE 3RD...THE ONLY TRIPLE DIGIT 
READING OF THE YEAR.  THE MONTHLY AVERAGE WAS 71.6 DEGREES...3.8 
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...AND THE COOLEST AUGUST SINCE 1992.  LOWS OF 
49 ON THE 13TH AND 45 ON THE 14TH SET NEW DAILY RECORDS.  FOR THE
SUMMER AS A WHOLE...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 71.4 DEGREES WAS 3.9 
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  THIS MADE 2004 THE 9TH COOLEST SUMMER ON 
RECORD...AND THE COOLEST SINCE 1992.

THE REST OF THE YEAR WAS WARMER THAN NORMAL...BUT PRECIPITATION WAS 
MORE VARIABLE.  MONTHLY AVERAGES WERE 3 TO 5 DEGREES ABOVE 
NORMAL...EXCEPT FOR 1.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL IN OCTOBER.  SEPTEMBER
HAD MORE DAYS OF 90 AND ABOVE THAN EITHER JULY OR AUGUST...BUT NO 
RECORDS WERE SET.  RAINFALL OF 3.24 INCHES WAS 0.32 INCH ABOVE 
NORMAL.  1.39 INCHES FELL ON THE 21ST...SETTING A NEW DAILY RECORD. 
OCTOBER WAS MUCH DRIER.  RAINFALL WAS ONLY 0.45 INCH...1.49 INCHES 
BELOW NORMAL.  A LOW OF 28 ON THE 2ND WAS THE ONLY TEMPERATURE 
RECORD DURING THE MONTH.  NOVEMBER WAS MILD AND WET.  THE ONLY 
TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS A WARM LOW OF 56 ON THE 17TH.  PRECIPITATION 
TOTALLED 2.61 INCHES...WHICH IS 1.03 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.  THE ONLY 
SNOWFALL OF LATE 2004 CAME ON THE 28TH AND 29TH WHEN 1.2 INCHES 
FELL...BUT THIS DID NOT LINGER.  DECEMBER HAD NO SNOW AT ALL...FOR 
THE FIRST TIME SINCE SNOWFALL RECORDS BEGAN IN 1899. PRECIPITATION 
WAS HALF NORMAL...AND NEARLY ALL OF IT CAME ON THE 5TH.  ABOVE 
NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAILED AGAIN FOR MUCH OF THE MONTH.  THE 
DECEMBER AVERAGE WAS 31.8 DEGREES...4.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  THE 
YEAR FINISHED MILD WHEN A HIGH OF 65 ON THE 30TH TIED A DAILY 
RECORD...AND A MILD LOW OF 44 SET A NEW RECORD.