COLD WAVE:

It has been a truly extraordinary time period since November 6th when the cold wave first settled in.  In fact this time period is the 2nd coldest in all of the 114 years of data (data records begin with 1887). 

Only one other November 6-December 25 time period has been colder, and that was in 1983 with 22.0 F.

Only 8 days during the 50 day time period had high temperatures that were above normal with 42 days having high temperatures below normal.  Last year during the same time period there were only 8 days with high temperatures below normal!

14 of the daily high temperatures were near or below the normal low temperatures.

Climatologically, this is an outstanding event with one of the longest cold waves in the 114 years climate record (despite greenhouse warming worries by some scientists and politicians).

The cold wave is so extensive that the U.S. average temperature which as of
October 31 was the warmest on record for the U.S. has now dropped to only the
4th warmest on record and will fall even further by December 31,  (latest estimate is from 7th to 12th warmest by December 31--read NOAA Story).

The current computer models have this cold wave holding on past the first week of January with no end in sight.

Last year, November 6 - December 25 averaged 38.5 F, 13 degrees warmer than this year!

Last year the high temperatures for the last week of the year were:
Dec. 25, 58 F; Dec. 26, 42 F; Dec. 27, 42 F; Dec. 28, 60 F; Dec. 29, 64 F; 
Dec. 30, 54 F; Dec. 31, 56 F.  What a difference a year can make!
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SNOWFALL:

The December snowfall amount in Lincoln is now the 6th most ever for the month of December and just a half inch away from being ranked 4th snowiest.  We should reach that ranking with the snowfall later this week.

The snowfall on December 25th was the first snowfall of an inch or more on Christmas since 1962 (38 years ago).  The 1997 Christmas snowfall was just a dusting.  It was also our first white Christmas (more than 1 inch on the ground is the definition)
since the 1980's.

As of December 26, the 11 inches of snow on the ground is the most in December since 1983. 

As of December 26, the 15.2 inches of snow is the most December snowfall since 1973, 27 years ago.

WHY HAS THIS COLD WAVE LASTED SO LONG?
Previous cold waves have been more brutal, i.e. with more record breaking low temperatures than this year.  However, that was because those cold waves "exhausted" the supply of cold arctic.  The huge mass of arctic air typically would slide down into the U.S. mainland.  The cold air would then need to rebuild in the arctic, usually taking a 10 day to two week period.  During that interim time period the temperatures in the mainland would rebound and go above normal.  This year, instead of the whole mass of cold air migrating down into the mainland of the U.S., small portions have been arriving every few days with the primary source region still having an ample supply of bitter arctic air.  So, on the one hand, we are lucky, we have not had temperatures in the -30 F range but on the other hand that has meant a steady progression of near zero temperatures sliding into our area for 7 weeks.
 

OUTLOOK:
The current computer models have this cold wave holding on into the first week of January with a forecast of near normal temperatures by the end of the first week in January.  The cold core of Arctic air is projected to migrate further east with milder Pacific air coming into the western half of the U.S.  Should the temperatures only warm up to normal as forecast, by comparison to our current cold wave, it will seem pretty mild!  The climate system has a tendency to try and balance things out, perhaps we will have an early spring with warmer than normal temperatures in the latter part of our winter to counteract our current 7 week cold wave.
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Click on the above map to see the forecast temperatures  through January 4.

Click on the above map  to see the forecast temperatures  through January 7. Warm-up forecast!

Associated Links:
December 2000, Cold Wave List of Links
December 2000 temperatures compared to top 10 coldest Decembers
December 2000 snowfall compared to top 10 snowiest Decembers
Omaha Cold Wave Report
OWH News Report: "How to Describe Cold: Relentless"
OWH News Report: "Freezing Rain Leads to Crashes"
OWH News Report: "Lengthy Cold Snap Affects Midlanders' Way of Life"
ABC News:  "Blizzards Hit Upper Plains, Threaten Northeast"