Published Saturday
After a week of oppressive heat that forced Midlands schools to close early and still threatens to make Husker fans and Labor Day picnickers sweat, this summer probably seemed unusually hot. Nope, weather experts say. Temperatures this summer - considered June, July and August for statistical purposes - averaged out to be normal or slightly above normal across much of the Midlands. Eastern Nebraska ended up the closest to normal, with Omaha falling just a half-degree below normal and Lincoln a half-degree above. Central and western Nebraska were generally above normal for the summer, but not by a large amount. The reason: A cool start to summer, with highs in the 60s and 70s, helped cancel out a crispy August that saw numerous highs in the upper 90s and 100s. "Summer was very delayed," said Ken Dewey, a professor at the High Plains Climate Center based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "And although we are uncomfortable now, at least we didn't have this in June and July. We know this heat has to end soon because fall is just around the corner." So far, fall is expected to be wetter than normal, especially in western Nebraska. But the same computer models aren't showing any strong predictions about temperatures for fall, Dewey said. Winter, for now, is expected to be warm and wet. Al Dutcher, Nebraska's state climatologist, said the long-range outlooks haven't been reliable lately. He is taking a wait-and-see attitude about a wet fall. "Unless the monsoon rains move in from the southwest United States soon, I think that part of the forecast will probably be a bust," Dutcher said. But before the region can worry about fall and winter, it has to get past the sweltering summer heat that started in August and is expected to continue through the Labor Day holiday. August was generally warm and dry across much of the Midlands. Most locations posted average monthly temperatures well above normal, including Scottsbluff, which saw its fourth warmest August on record. Lincoln and Grand Island both posted 104-degree highs during August, while North Platte hit 102 on two separate days. The heat seemed to peak the last week of August as highs climbed into the upper 90s and 100s consistently across much of the region. Omaha had its hottest day of the summer Monday when the mercury climbed to a record of 101 - the city's highest temperature since 1995. The uncomfortable heat and humidity forced many schools across Nebraska and western Iowa to send students home early several days this week. It also prompted warnings from state health officials about working and playing in the heat. Those same warnings were issued for today, Sunday and Monday as temperatures are again expected to soar into the 90s and 100s. That means potentially dangerous conditions for outdoor events such as the Husker football home opener and Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln, Septemberfest in Omaha and Labor Day events around the region. The effects of summer heat and drought also will be on display this weekend for visitors to Nebraska's largest lake, Lake McConaughy, near Ogallala. The combined impacts of irrigation, low rainfall and wildlife needs have produced the largest one-year drop in elevation in the lake's 59-year history, according to the lake's owners. The water level of "Big Mac" stood Friday at 3,230.6 feet, nearly 25 feet below its elevation on May 30, according to the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District. The lake's drawdown will limit the size of this weekend's annual Governor's Cup Regatta sailboat races, said Jim Glenn, executive director of the Ogallala-Keith County Chamber of Commerce. Here are the preliminary August monthly weather summaries
from National Weather Service reporting stations in Nebraska and Iowa:
World-Herald staff writer Todd von Kampen contributed
to this report.
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Des Moines: The average monthly
temperature of 75.5 degrees was 1.6 degrees above normal. The month's highest
temperature, 97, was recorded Aug. 31. The month's lowest temperature,
59, was recorded Aug. 18. Precipitation totaled 1.71 inches, which was
2.49 inches below normal.