COLD WAVES IN LINCOLN, NE
1887-2007 (through December 20, 2007)

      TOPICS in this site:

The coldest recorded minimum temperatures in Lincoln Winter seasons with the LEAST number of days zero or below
The coldest recorded daytime high temperatures in Lincoln Recent winter seasons and the number of days zero or below
The coldest recorded 24 hours in Lincoln The longest cold spell with temperatures staying below ZERO
Winter seasons with the MOST number of days zero or below
External to this Site: NWS Omaha/Valley Winter Weather page


THE COLDEST RECORDED MINIMUM TEMPERATURES
FOR LINCOLN, NE,  1887-2007  (o F.)

TEMPERATURE/DATE
   -33 JAN 12 1974 
   -29 JAN 11 1974 
   -29 JAN 19 1892 
   -27 DEC 22 1983
   -27 JAN 15 1888 
   -26 JAN 01 1974 
   -26 JAN 12 1912 
   -26 FEB 13 1905 
   -26 FEB 11 1899 
   -25 JAN 06 1890
   -24 FEB 01 1979 
   -24 FEB 09 1975 
   -24 FEB 12 1944 
   -24 FEB 12 1899 
   -23 DEC 23 1989 
   -23 FEB 08 1971 
   -23 JAN 27 1940 
   -23 JAN 11 1918 
   -22 FEB 03 1996 
   -22 DEC 22 1989 
   -22 JAN 02 1887 
   -22 JAN 28 1915 
TEMPERATURE/DATE
  -22 FEB 12 1905
  -22 FEB 02 1905
  -22 FEB 09 1899
  -21 JAN 09 1974
  -21 JAN 18 1940
  -21 JAN 13 1916
  -21 JAN 27 1915
  -21 FEB 04 1905
  -21 JAN 25 1905
  -20 FEB 02 1996
  -20 DEC 19 1989
  -20 JAN 31 1979
  -20 JAN 07 1974
  -20 DEC 31 1973
  -20 JAN 23 1948
  -20 JAN 05 1940
  -20 FEB 05 1936
  -20 DEC 10 1919
  -20 FEB 01 1917
  -20 JAN 12 1892
  -20 JAN 09 1887
  -20 JAN 08 1887
There have been 44 days during the past 119 years in which the recorded temperature in
Lincoln, NE fell to or below -20o F.

Some months and days have clusters of extreme cold.  For example,
January 12th has seen -33o F in 1974, -26o F in 1912, and -20o F in 1887.

The decade with the most number of times the mercury fell to or below -20o F was
the 1970's with 10 occurrences (5 of which were in January 1974!).  The mercury has only
fallen to or below -20o F twice in the 1990's, and that was in February 1996.

THE COLDEST RECORDED DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES
(o F, 1887-2007)
 -16o F   JAN 14  1888
  -13o F   FEB 11  1899
  -12o F   FEB   2  1905
  -10o F   DEC 24 1983
  -10o F   FEB   8  1899
  -10o F   JAN 13  1888
  - 9o F    FEB   7  1933
  - 9o F    JAN 11  1918
  - 9o F    FEB 12  1905
  - 9o F    JAN 20  1888
THE COLDEST 24 HOURS, CALENDAR DAY, IN LINCOLN, NE
FEBRUARY 11, 1899

HIGH TEMPERATURE = -13o F
LOW TEMPERATURE = -26o F
DAILY MEAN = -20o F

Although the coldest minimum ever recorded was -33 F on January 12, 1974,
the high for that day was +6 F for a daily mean temperature of  -13 F.

WINTER SEASONS WITH
THE MOST NUMBER OF DAYS
 o F or BELOW (1887-2007)
SEASON
1977-1978
1887-1888
1978-1979
1935-1936
1917-1918
1981-1982
1976-1977
1898-1899
1939-1940
DAYS
36
36
35
33
31
30
29
29
26
 SEASON 
1904-1905
1894-1895
1911-1912
1983-1984
1961-1962
1964-1965
1915-1916
1962-1963
1969-1970
DAYS
25
22
22
22
21
21
21
20
20


Winter Seasons with the Least Number
of Days with low temperatures 0o F or lower
 (Winter 1887-1888 through 2005-2007)
SEASON
DAYS
SEASON
DAYS
1980-1981
5
1933-1934
4
1954-1955
5
1920-1921
4
1934-1935
5
1991-1992
3
1926-1927
5
1982-1983
3
1925-1926
5
1907-1908
2
1910-1911
5
1895-1896
2
1900-1901 
5
1986-1987
1
1952-1953
4
1930-1931
0
1940-1941
4
  
SEASON
DAYS
SEASON
DAYS

Recent Winter Seasons and The
Number of Days with low temperatures 0o F or Below

Winter 2007-2008 (1 day)
with low temperatures 0o F or Below

December 16, 2007:  0






 
Winter 2006-2007 (8 days)
with low temperatures 0o F or Below

January 15, 2007:  -9
January 16, 2007:  -15
February 3, 2007:  0
February 4, 2007:  -1
February 13, 2007:  0
February 14, 2007:  -6
February 15, 2007:  -4
 February 16, 2007:  -3
Winter 2005-2006 (8 days)
with low temperatures 0o F or Below
December 4, 2005: -2
December 5, 2005: -3
December 6, 2005: -4
December 7, 2005: -6
December 8, 2005: -5
December 9, 2005: -10
February 17, 2006:  0
February 18, 2006:  -4
Winter 2004-2005 (11 days)
with low temperatures 0o F or Below
December 23, 2004:  -4
December 24, 2004:  -4
January 6 , 2005:  -8 
January 7, 2005:  -1 
January 8, 2005:  -9
January 13, 2005:  -8 
January 14, 2005:  -7 
January 15, 2005:  -18
January 16, 2005:  -18
January 17, 2005:  -2
February 9, 2005:   -5
Winter 2003-2004 (12 days)
with low temperatures 0o F or Below
December 12, 2003:  -2
January 5, 2004:  - 6
January 6, 2004:  - 9
January 7, 2004:  - 5
January 27, 2004:  - 8
January 28, 2004:  - 8
January 29, 2004:  - 8
January 30, 2004:  - 6
February 3, 2004:  - 7
February 7, 2004:   -5
February 8, 2004:   -7
February 15, 2004:  -6


Winter Seasons 1887-88 through 2007-08 and
The Number of Days with low temperatures 0o F or Below
Winter
Days
 
Winter
Days
 
Winter
Days
 
Winter
Days
1887-88
36
  
1917-18
31
  
1947-48
18
  
1977-78
36
1888-89
10
  
1918-19
6
  
1948-49
18
  
1978-79
35
1889-90
19
  
1919-20
11
  
1949-50
11
  
1979-80
12
1890-91
8
  
1920-21
4
  
1950-51
16
  
1980-81
5
1891-92
10
  
1921-22
11
  
1951-52
16
  
1981-82
30
1892-93
18
  
1922-23
6
  
1952-53
4
  
1982-83
3
1893-94
14
  
1923-24
14
  
1953-54
8
  
1983-84
22
1894-95
22
  
1924-25
13
  
1954-55
5
  
1984-85
15
1895-96
2
  
1925-26
5
  
1955-56
8
  
1985-86
16
1896-97
12
  
1926-27
5
  
1956-57
7
  
1986-87
1
1897-98
8
  
1927-28
8
  
1957-58
7
  
1987-88
14
1898-99
29
  
1928-29
14
  
1958-59
13
  
1988-89
9
1899-00
10
  
1929-30
13
  
1959-60
12
  
1989-90
14
1900-01
5
  
1930-31
0
  
1960-61
8
  
1990-91
18
1901-02
19
  
1931-32
8
  
1961-62
21
  
1991-92
3
1902-03
8
  
1932-33
14
  
1962-63
20
  
1992-93
16
1903-04
14
  
1933-34
4
  
1963-64
14
  
1993-94
15
1904-05
25
  
1934-35
5
  
1964-65
21
  
1994-95
10
1905-06
6
  
1935-36
33
  
1965-66
12
  
1995-96
18
1906-07
6
  
1936-37
14
  
1966-67
7
  
1996-97
13
1907-08
2
  
1937-38
8
  
1967-68
9
  
1997-98
5
1908-09
11
  
1938-39
6
  
1968-69
17
  
1998-99
7
1909-10
19
  
1939-40
26
  
1969-70
20
  
1999-00
2
1910-11
5
  
1940-41
4
  
1970-71
17
  
2000-01
16
1911-12
22
  
1941-42
13
  
1971-72
18
  
2001-02
6
1912-13
13
  
1942-42
10
  
1972-73
18
  
2002-03
7
1913-14
6
  
1943-44
10
  
1973-74
17
  
2003-04
12
1914-15
13
  
1944-45
6
  
1974-75
10
  
2004-05
11
1915-16
20
  
1945-46
8
  
1975-76
10
  
2005-06
8
1916-17
17
  
1946-47
10
  
1976-77
29
 2006-07
8
2007-08
1


Each Year refers to the start of the Winter Season.
For example, 1895 = the winter of 1895-1896; 2006 = 2006-07

The 121 winter seasons average is 13 days, (the solid horizontal blue line on the graph).

The standard 30-year (1971-2000) average is 15 days, zero F or lower.

The recent 10-year average, 1998-2007 is 8 days, zero F or lower.

Winter 2006-2007 had 8 days with temperatures falling to 0 F or lower.

The longest cold spell in Lincoln, with the temperature remaining below ZERO (0o F)?
The answer is 188 hours,  5 PM, December 17 - 1 PM, December 25, 1983.

March 12, 1998.  A foot of fresh snow and -15o F.
A record minimum temperature for the date!

 


UNL
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Applied Climate Sciences Group
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