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Omaha breaks 1899 low temperature record, Nebraska

omaha-breaks-1899-low-temperature-record-nebraska

Cold air which accumulated over portions of the United States and Canada sent temperatures dropping on April 4, 2018, breaking records.

The temperature in Omaha dropped to -10.5 °C (13 °F) on the morning of April 4, a full 2.7 °C (5 °F) lower than the previous record for the date, set in 1899.

Other communities setting daily records included Grand Island (-10 °C / 14 °F), North Platte (-10.5 °C / 13 °F), Sioux City (-13.9 °C / 7 °F) and Valentine, the state’s coldest spot, at -15 °C (5 °F).

The normal high for early April in the Omaha area is 15.5 °C (60 °F), while the normal low is 1.7 °C (35 °F).

What’s impressive about this outbreak of cold is that the northern US and Canada have been the coldest part of the Northern Hemisphere over the last three weeks — in terms of temperatures departing from normal, said Jack Boston, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

Boston said a global weather pattern known as La Niña is to blame. It arises from unusually cold surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that skew changes in the atmosphere. It’s not surprising that April would start out cold, Boston said, because that can be a consequence of a strong La Niña. If history is any guide, the cold should break by mid-month, he said.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Omaha will drop to about -12 °C (10 °F) in morning of April 7. If the temperature drops that low, Omaha will break the record for April 7, which is -8.3 °C (17 °F), set in 1936.

Omaha’s all-time low for April, -15 °C (5 °F) on April 3, 1975, appears safe, but more records are possible in the coming weekend.

Featured Image: Kathryn / Flickr

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