...2005 YEARLY SUMMARY FOR LINCOLN...

ON THE WHOLE...2005 WAS A WARM AND DRY YEAR IN LINCOLN.
JANUARY WAS AN EXCEPTION...STARTING WITH A MAJOR WINTER STORM THAT
LAID DOWN A SHEET OF ICE ON THE 2ND AND 3RD...THEN FINISHED OFF WITH
8.4 INCHES OF SNOW BY THE 4TH.  THE WEATHER WAS PERSISTENTLY COLD
THROUGH MID MONTH.  FOLLOWING HIGHS IN THE LOW SINGLE
DIGITS...MORNING LOWS OF 18 BELOW ON THE 15TH AND 16TH WERE THE
COLDEST OF THE WINTER.  THE LOW ON THE 16TH WAS ONLY A DEGREE SHY OF
A DAILY RECORD.  THE JANUARY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 21.0 WAS 1.4
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.03 INCHES...0.36
INCH ABOVE NORMAL.  MONTHLY SNOW AMOUNTED TO 10.5 INCHES.

FEBRUARY WAS QUITE MILD...EXCEPT FOR A BRIEF COLD SPELL FROM THE 7TH
THROUGH THE 10TH.  THE MONTHLY SNOWFALL OF 4.6 INCHES ALL CAME
DURING THIS PERIOD.  THE LOW OF 5 ON THE 10TH WAS THE LAST ONE IN
THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR THE WINTER. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS
33.6 DEGREES...5.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...THE WARMEST IN 5 YEARS.
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES REACHED THE 60S ON 6 DAYS...BUT THE ONLY DAILY
RECORDS SET WERE FOR MILD MINIMUM TEMPERATURES...38 ON THE 5TH...AND
39 ON THE 13TH.  MONTHLY TOTAL PRECIPITATION OF 2.22 INCHES WAS 1.56
INCHES ABOVE NORMAL...MAKING THIS THE 10TH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON
RECORD...AND THE WETTEST SINCE 1971.  A DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORD
WAS SET WHEN 0.87 INCH FELL ON THE 6TH.

SPRING WAS DRY AND A LITTLE WARMER THAN NORMAL.  MARCH FIT THE
PATTERN.  MILD WEATHER PREDOMINATED AT THE BEGINNING AND AGAIN
TOWARD THE END OF THE MONTH...BUT THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL TEMPERATURE
EXTREMES.  THE MONTH AS A WHOLE AVERAGED 41.3 DEGREES...1.9 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL.  MARCH PRECIPITATION WAS ONLY 0.65 INCH...WHICH IS
1.56 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.  THE FIRST MEASURABLE RAIN DID NOT COME
UNTIL THE 20TH.  MARCH DID PRODUCE PLENTY OF WIND...ESPECIALLY ON
THE 10TH...WHEN GUSTS UP TO 56 MPH WERE RECORDED.  MILD WEATHER
AND ADEQUATE RAINFALL DURING THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF APRIL ALLOWED
SPRING VEGETATION TO ADVANCE RAPIDLY.  THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD
OF COLD AND DRY WEATHER LASTING INTO EARLY MAY...WITH SUBFREEZING
TEMPERATURES ON SEVERAL NIGHT.  THE AVERAGE DATE FOR THE LAST
FREEZING TEMPERATURE IN LINCOLN IS APRIL 23RD...BUT THIS YEAR IT
CAME ON MAY 3RD WITH A LOW OF 27...TWO DEGREES SHY OF THE DAILY
RECORD.  TEMPERATURES SOON RECOVERED...BUT FLUCTUATED BETWEEN ABOVE
AND BELOW NORMAL VALUES FOR THE REST OF MAY WITHOUT ANY UNUSUAL
EXTREMES.  THE APRIL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 54.0 DEGREES...2.8
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  MONTHLY PRECIPITATION OF 2.22 INCHES WAS 0.68
INCH BELOW NORMAL.  THE MAY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 62.0 DEGREES WAS
EXACTLY NORMAL...BUT ONLY 2.18 INCHES OF RAIN FELL...2.05 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL.

JUNE BEGAN WARM AND MOIST...WITH FREQUENT RAINFALL.  HOT AND DRY
WEATHER DEVELOPED LATER IN THE MONTH.  HIGHS WERE IN THE 90S BETWEEN
THE 19TH AND 29TH...EXCEPT FOR A HIGH OF 89 ON THE 21ST.  THE
MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 75.3 DEGREES...2.6 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL.  RAINFALL TOTALLED 2.85 INCHES...0.66 INCH BELOW NORMAL.

MUCH OF JULY WAS HOT AND DRY...BUT COOL WET WEATHER ARRIVED LATE IN
THE MONTH.  THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 79.4 DEGREES...1.6
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  HIGHS OF 90 OR ABOVE OCCURRED FROM THE 7TH
THROUGH THE 25TH...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE 18TH.  THE MONTHLY
TOTAL OF 20 DAYS OF 90 OR ABOVE WAS THE MOST SINCE 2002...WHICH HAD
22 DAYS.  THERE WERE ALSO 6 DAYS REACHING 100 OR ABOVE...THE MOST
SINCE 7 DAYS HIT THE CENTURY MARK IN 1995.  THE HOTTEST WEATHER OF
THE YEAR WAS A STRING OF FOUR CONSECUTIVE DAYS ABOVE 100 FROM THE
22ND THROUGH THE 25TH...THE MOST IN A ROW SINCE 1995 WHEN A STRING
OF 5 OCCURRED.  THE HIGH OF 105 ON THE 23RD WAS THE HOTTEST
TEMPERATURE RECORDED SINCE SEPTEMBER 2 2000.  THE WEATHER CHANGED
DRAMATICALLY ON THE 25TH WHEN AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG COLD FRONT
BLASTED THROUGH THE AREA.  THE FRONT MADE A QUICK END TO THE HOT AND
DRY WEATHER.  IT TRIGGERED SEVERE WEATHER WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS
THROUGHOUT THE LINCOLN AREA...UP TO 63 MPH AT THE AIRPORT.  HEAVY
RAIN ALSO CAME WITH THE FRONT...3.92 INCHES.  OF THAT...3.40 INCHES
FELL ON THE 25TH.  THIS WAS THE SECOND HEAVIEST DAILY RAINFALL IN
THE MONTH OF JULY...EXCEEDED ONLY BY 5.42 INCHES OF RAIN THAT FELL
IN 1990...ALSO ON THE 25TH.  FOLLOWING THE FRONT...THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE DROPPED 28 DEGREES FROM 102 ON THE 25TH TO 74 ON THE
26TH.  A LOW OF 50 ON THE MORNING OF THE 27TH BROKE THE OLD RECORD
OF 52 IN 1994.  MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTALLED 5.30 INCHES...1.76 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL.

AUGUST TEMPERATURES WERE VARIABLE...WITH SEVERAL STRONG COLD FRONTS
MOVING THROUGH IN THE FIRST HALF.  THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL EXTREMES.
THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 75.0 DEGREES WAS JUST 0.4 DEGREE
BELOW NORMAL.  THE RAINFALL TOTAL OF 2.55 INCHES WAS 0.80 INCH BELOW
NORMAL.

AUTUMN FEATURED ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES.  MOST OF SEPTEMBER WAS
MORE LIKE SUMMER THAN FALL.  THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 70.3
DEGREES WAS 4.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...WITH WARMEST SINCE 1998.
TEMPERATURES STAYED WARM FAR INTO THE MONTH.  A HIGH OF 103 ON THE
21ST WAS NOT ONLY A RECORD FOR THE DATE...BUT THE LASTEST TIME ON
RECORD FOR SUCH A HOT TEMPERATURE.  PREVIOUSLY...THE LATEST DATE TO
SEE 103 WAS SEPTEMBER 8TH IN 1955.  DESPITE THE LATE HEAT...A BRIEF
COLD SPELL NEAR THE END OF THE MONTH DROPPED THE LOW TO 31 ON
SEPTEMBER 29TH...ABOUT A WEEK EARLIER THAN AVERAGE.  SEPTEMBER WAS
ALSO VERY DRY...THE 5TH DRIEST ON RECORD AND THE DRIEST SINCE 1939.
THE RAINFALL TOTAL OF 0.28 INCHES WAS LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF THE
NORMAL 2.92 INCHES

THE OCTOBER AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 54.8 DEGREES...1.3 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL.  HOWEVER...SEVERAL RECORDS WERE SET.  THERE WERE SEVERAL
UNSEASONABLY WARM NIGHTS EARLY IN THE MONTH...WITH LOW TEMPERATURES
OF 74 ON BOTH THE 3RD AND 4TH.  THE PREVIOUS WARM LOW IN OCTOBER WAS
72...LAST REACHED IN 1947.  PRIOR TO THIS YEAR...THE LATEST IN THE
SEASON FOR CONSECUTIVE MINIMUM TEMPERATURES OF 74 OR WARMER WAS ON
SEPTEMBER 19 AND 20 OF 1895.  A HIGH OF 94 ON THE 2ND EXCEEDED THE
OLD RECORD OF 92 IN 1952.  HIGHS OF 93 ON THE 4TH AND 87 ON THE 18TH
TIED THE PREVIOUS RECORDS FOR THOSE DATES.  RAINFALL OF 2.76 INCHES
WAS 0.82 INCH ABOVE THE OCTOBER NORMAL.

MUCH OF NOVEMBER WAS MILD...BUT WINTER ARRIVED BEFORE THE END OF THE
MONTH.  TEMPERATURES WERE WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE FIRST TWO
WEEKS...AND MORE VARIABLE AFTER THAT.  A HIGH OF 81 ON THE 2ND BROKE
THE OLD DAILY RECORD OF 79 IN 1965.  A HIGH OF 74 ON THE 12TH TIED A
1952 DAILY RECORD...AND THE LOW OF 50 EXCEEDED THE WARMEST MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR THAT DATE...48 IN 1923.  THE NOVEMBER AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS 42.2 DEGREES...4.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  THE FIRST
TASTE OF WINTER CAME ON THE 15TH...WITH 1.5 INCHES OF SNOW AND WINDS
GUSTING UP TO 47 MPH.  TEMPERATURES RECOVERED UNTIL ANOTHER STORM ON
THE 27TH.  AFTER STARTING OUT WITH THUNDER AND ABUNDANT RAIN...THE
STORM CHANGED OVER TO WET SNOW AND A BLAST OF COLD AIR WITH 49 MPH
WINDS.  MONTHLY SNOWFALL TOTALLED 2.9 INCHES.  THE PRECIPITATION
TOTAL WAS 2.03 INCHES...0.45 INCH ABOVE NORMAL.

WINTER WEATHER CONTINUED IN EARLY DECEMBER.  TEMPERATURES REMAINED
WELL BELOW FREEING THROUGH THE 9TH...WITH SUBZERO READINGS EVERY DAY
FROM THE 4TH THROUGH THE 9TH...AND A LOW OF 10 BELOW ON THE MORNING
OF THE 9TH.  THE MONTHLY TOTAL OF 6.0 INCHES OF SNOW ALL CAME DURING
THIS PERIOD.  TEMPERATURES WERE WARMER THAN AVERAGE FOR MOST OF THE
REMAINDER OF DECEMBER...BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR THE COLD
WEATHER EARLY IN THE MONTH.  THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 24.7
WAS 1.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

                       2005 STATISTICS
          TEMPERATURE                   PRECIPITATION
MONTH  AVG. DEPART.  MAX  MIN      TOTAL  DEPART.  SNOW AND HAIL
JAN.  21.0   -1.4     58  -18       1.03   0.36     10.5
FEB.  33.6    5.3     66   -5       2.22   1.56      4.6
MAR.  41.3    1.9     78   13       0.65  -1.56       T
APR.  54.0    2.8     82   21       2.22  -0.68       T
MAY   62.0    0.0     91   27       2.18  -2.05      0.0
JUNE  75.3    2.6     98   52       2.85  -0.66      0.0
JULY  79.4    1.6    105   50       5.30   1.76      0.0
AUG.  75.0   -0.4     98   51       2.55  -0.80      0.0
SEP.  70.3    4.3    103   31       0.28  -2.64      0.0
OCT.  54.8    1.3     94   24       2.76   0.82      0.0
NOV.  42.2    4.1     81   13       2.03   0.45      2.9
DEC.  24.7   -1.8     58  -10       0.52  -0.34      6.0
YEAR  52.8    1.7    105..-18      24.59  -3.78     24.0

           DEGREE DAYS
MONTH  HEATING  DEPART.  COOLING  DEPART.
JAN.    1335      27        0       0
FEB.     875    -168        0       0
MAR.     729    -170        1       3
APR.     332     -93       11      -2
MAY      155       1       71      15
JUNE       0     -16      318      74
JULY       2       1      454      64
AUG.       0      -5      320       5
SEP.      36     -64      203      80
OCT.     361     -16       54      42
NOV.     679    -127        0       0
DEC.    1241      53        0       0
YEAR                     1432     278