 
Published Sunday
Surprises Nearly Became Norm BY VERONICA ROSMAN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER A drought that built up for months, then suddenly broke - just for long enough to save some crops. Violent tornadoes in late fall, including only the second tornado on record to hit Nebraska in November. Temperatures that topped 100 in September, followed by the coldest start to winter since 1983. As the year grinds to an end, weather experts say these events are examples of how 2000 was a wacky year filled with extremes, big surprises and a long-overdue dose of traditional winter weather. "This year really brought us some surprises," said Ken Dewey, a weather expert for the High Plains Climate Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "For example, who would have guessed we'd have heavy rains in the middle of a drought or tornadoes in November?" Al Dutcher, Nebraska's state climatologist, said this year had periods of extremes. "January through May were warm and dry, June and July were cool and wet and August and September were hot and dry again," Dutcher said. "Things really flip-flopped around." One of the year's most noteworthy weather events came at the end of the year. A frigid cold snap gripped the Midlands early in November and was still holding on tightly as the year wound to a close. With a day still left in the year, December was expected to be either the second- or third-coldest on record in much of eastern Nebraska and the whole state of Iowa. The coldest December on record, by far, is December 1983. In Omaha alone, the average monthly temperature for that month was only 7.2 degrees. Even today's temperatures could make a difference on where the month will ultimately rank, and may even affect the average yearly temperature, said John Pollack, a forecaster at the National Weather Service office at Valley, Neb. "We're going to wait until the last minute to do the math because every degree will count," Pollack said. In Iowa, this month should end up as the state's second-coldest December on record, said Harry Hillaker, the Iowa state climatologist. In fact, December was so cold that it pulled down the whole year. Before November, 2000 was on pace to be the eighth-warmest year on record. But by the time December ends, the year probably will rank as the 47th-warmest, Hillaker said. December also was noteworthy for its unusually heavy snowfall. Iowa received an average of 24.7 inches of snow, making it the state's snowiest month on record. The previous record was 22.2 inches that fell in February 1962. In Omaha, 18.2 inches of snow had fallen by Friday, which is more than half of the 30 inches the city averages for an entire winter. But when the year began, snow and cold were the furthest things from Midlanders' minds. In January, February and March, Midlanders enjoyed several sunny days with highs in the 60s and 70s. Omaha's high of 76 on March 7 broke a daily high temperature record. It was Norfolk's fifth-warmest March on record. But while Midlanders frolicked in the winter warmth, concerns about a drought mounted. Nearly all of the region had suffered through an abnormally dry fall in 1999 and many places went without substantial snowfall during the winter. The drought concerns continued through the spring. Farmers planted their crops but panicked as they saw nothing except dry dirt in their fields. Some cities started regulating water usage. But June and July brought a surprise reprieve from the drought to much of eastern Nebraska and parts of western Nebraska. Omaha's June rainfall, for example, was nearly 3 inches above normal, and July brought 5.22 inches more rain than normal. "People don't know how bad it could have been without those rains," said Dewey of the High Plains Climate Center. "We could have looked like Texas, where the corn was 2 inches tall." However, central and much of western Nebraska weren't that lucky. The rains that fell over eastern Nebraska consistently skipped western sections of the state. High winds - which blasted the already stressed crops - made the dryness worse and fanned hundreds of wildfires. "The southwest part of the state was destroyed as far as crops go," Dutcher said. But summer eventually got its revenge on the rest of the Midlands, albeit a little late. On Sept. 2 - the start of Labor Day weekend and considered the unofficial end to summer - Lincoln posted a record high of 106; Glenwood, Iowa, hit a high of 104; and Omaha's high of 102 was the first time since 1895 that the city's hottest day of the year came in early September. The late-season heat in August and September reinstated the drought conditions. But by then, the growing season was over. The crops dried out quickly in the heat and the harvest was finished early. "If you are going to have a drought, that is probably the best time of year to have one," Dewey said. When asked if the drought is officially over, all the experts answered cautiously. The situation looks much improved, based on precipitation that fell this fall and winter. But that doesn't mean the drought can't re-emerge, Dutcher said. A lot of it depends on how quickly the snow melts this spring, he said. "The snow is like money in the bank," he said. "It's there to be used, but we're not sure how it is going to be allocated yet." While the drought quieted down in the fall, some unexpected severe weather reared its ugly head. On Halloween night, a tornado struck the central Nebraska town of Oconto. While the residents were generally spared of injury, numerous buildings in town were damaged and the community center was leveled. The Oconto tornado, along with the 17 other tornadoes spawned in October this year, set a Nebraska record for twister touchdowns in October. And a tornado spotted on Nov. 1 was only the second time in 50 years of records that a tornado has been reported in Nebraska during November. The last time was in 1956. "We've had tornadoes in October before, but not of that intensity," Dewey said. "That was a real surprise, especially to the people in its path." |