KIMBALL, Neb. – The days have been slowly getting longer since winter arrived just before Christmas, and we’re now just about 60 days into winter, with only about a month to go before calendar spring arrives.
Although it’s hard to tell from day to day, average air temperatures have been slowly increasing as well, and we’re at that point where we’re gaining about a degree per week. Looking at temperature data over the past century-and-a-quarter, this February temperature gain is something which happens every single year, without exception. It’s reassuring to see that while our climate continues to be variable, it is clearly not changing in any fundamental way.
Snow and cold featured prominently across much of the Tri-state region last week, in many ways mirroring the previous week, with generally similar precipitation totals.
Snowfall once again covered the ground but quickly melted away as sunshine and warming air temperatures followed.
In general, the cold and snow followed by warming has been beneficial, so far as soil moisture goes. Surface soil temperatures (down to four inches) have been hovering near the freezing mark, warming just enough to soak up melting snow during the sunny days before freezing again overnight.
The warm and cold cycles we’ve seen since Thanksgiving have probably been hard on winter wheat stands, but only time will tell the full story there. Warm and cold cycles have stressed livestock as well, but most seem to have done fairly well thus far.

Regional Forecast and Conditions
As of Tuesday morning (Feb. 13), the temperature at sunrise was 18 degrees under clear skies. Wind was westerly at 6 mph. The day was expected to remain clear and warming with the daytime temperature rising to about 45 degrees.
Conditions were expected to remain clear, dry and seasonably warm for the next week or so.
Today (Friday) skies are forecast to be clear and sunny with a high temperature of 40 degrees and an overnight low of 21. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be warmer and breezy, with highs reaching into the mid-40’s and overnight lows falling into the lower 20’s. There is little chance of precipitation in the weekend forecast.
Monday through Wednesday is expected to be little changed from the weekend. Daytime highs should range in the mid-40’s, with overnight lows falling into the teens or low 20’s. Little if any precipitation is forecast for this period.
Daytime air temperatures cooled across the region last week. At Kimball the Feb. 6-12 daytime high averaged 36.71, about 4.7 degrees cooler than the previous week. The weekly high temperature was 55 degrees on Feb. 8. Overnight lows cooled also, averaging 14.8 degrees, about 2.6 degrees cooler than the previous week. The weekly low temperature was 5 degrees on Feb. 11. The weekly mean temperature was 25.78 degrees, about 3.4 degrees cooler than the previous week, and 3.6 degrees cooler than the February average of 29.4 degrees. The long-term average high and low temperatures at Kimball for Feb. 43.0 and 15.7, respectively.
Light to moderate snowfall dusted the Panhandle over the last week, and only Big Springs reported zero precipitation during the Feb. 6-12 period. Liquid equivalent precipitation averaged 0.16 inches for the Panhandle, while snowfall averaged 1.8 inches. Last week’s averages were 0.16 and 2.24 inches respectively.
Soil temperatures cooled slightly across the Panhandle over the Feb. 6-12 period: (this week/last week/change): Alliance 30.5/32.1 (-1.6) degrees; Gordon 30.1/30.1 (unchanged) degrees; Mitchell 31.4/32.3 (-0.9) degrees; Scottsbluff 31.2/31.7 (-0.5); and Sidney 30.2/31.5 (-1.3) degrees.

Winds near Kimball averaged southerly over the Feb. 6-12 period, though they were generally west-northwesterly except for two days of easterly air flow. Gusts for the week averaged 23.57 mph. High gust for the week was 25 mph on Feb. 7.

Feb. 16 Weather Almanac
Here’s an overview of Feb. 16 temperature and precipitation highs, lows, and averages over the preceding 124 years at Kimball. Data is taken from the High Plains Regional Climate Center (www.hprcc.unl.edu), where you can easily find and track data for your own particular location.
Last year: Daily high temperature 65 degrees, overnight low 23 degrees, average temperature 44.0 degrees. Precipitation zero, snowfall zero, snow depth zero.
The warmest Feb. 16 on record was 65 degrees in 2017. The coolest Feb. 16 high temperature was 5 degrees in 1993. The coldest Feb. 16 overnight low was minus 11 degrees in 1993. The warmest Feb. 16 overnight low was 33 degrees in 1898. Over the years since 1893 the high temperature on Feb. 16 has averaged 42 degrees, the overnight low 16 degrees, the daily average 28.9 degrees, precipitation has averaged 0.01 inches, snowfall 0.2 inches, snow depth zero inches.
The highest Feb. 16 precipitation total was 0.47 inches liquid equivalent in 1958. The greatest snowfall was 5.0 inches, also in 1958. Greatest snow depth was 5.0 inches in 2005.
Snow has fallen on Feb. 16 at Kimball 23 times over the last 124 years, with quantities ranging from a trace to 5.0 inches.

U.S. Drought Monitor
(Jan. 30) High Plains: Additional snow in the north and west contrasted with increasingly dry conditions in southern and eastern portions of the region.
A continuation of the recent unsettled weather pattern in northeastern Colorado, which includes a 30-day surplus of 1-2 inches, liquid equivalent, supported the reduction of Moderate Drought (D1).
Conversely, a lack of precipitation over the past 90 days coupled with input from experts in the field led to an expansion of D1 in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota. Of particular concern is this winter’s subpar snowfall to date; winter snowfall is important for agriculture (providing runoff to refill stock ponds, protects winter wheat from temperature extremes, provides topsoil moisture) and serves as early spring water supply for ecosystems as the snowmelt season approaches.

West: Favorable conditions in the north contrasted sharply with dry, warm weather in central and southern portions of the region.
From the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies, the favorable start to the current Water Year continued, with additional rain and mountain snow reported during the 7-day period. As of Tuesday, Feb. 6, the Snow Water Equivalent of mountain snowpack was well above normal (50-100th percentile) from Washington into the northern Rockies, with surpluses extending southward into the east-central Rockies just west of Denver, Colo.
Conversely, the SWE was approaching or at historical lows, in the 25th percentile or lower, with many stations reporting no snow at all, from western Colorado and much of Utah southward into Arizona and New Mexico. Likewise, the lack of snow – due in part to unseasonable warmth – has raised the specter of re-intensifying western drought in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, and Blue Mountains.
The lack of snow is having an immediate impact, forcing some ski areas to close historically early. Furthermore, a significant portion of the western water supply is contingent on snowmelt. Potentially poor spring runoff prospects will place a higher-than-normal burden on reservoirs.
Presently, reservoir supplies are mostly in good shape, due to last year’s abundant rain and snow. The overall lack of precipitation since the beginning of the current water year is compounding the effects of very low Snow Water Equivalents, with season-to-date precipitation tallying a meager 25 percent of normal or less from southern California into the Four Corners region. In many of the aforementioned areas, drought will rapidly expand and intensify if precipitation does not return soon.

National Summary: During the 7-day period ending Tuesday morning, Feb. 6, near- to above-normal precipitation was observed from the interior Southeast into New England, while dryness intensified across the southern half of the Plains and much of the southwestern quarter of the nation.
Drought continued to expand on the southern Plains, while a reduction in drought intensity and coverage was noted in parts of the south and east where rain and snow were heaviest.
The situation across the western U.S. presented sharply diverging scenarios, with good season-to-date moisture supplies across the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest in sharp contrast to intensifying drought and a lack of vital snowpack across central and southern portions of the Rockies and Sierra Nevada.
For more information on the U.S. Drought Monitor visit: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu

U.S. Conditions and Weather Report
(Feb. 13) Soaking rain drenched the Southeast, curtailing offseason farm activities but significantly easing cool season precipitation deficits. Precipitation, some of which fell as snow, sleet, or freezing rain, also extended into the Northeast. Weekly rainfall totals in excess of four-inches were common from the Mississippi Delta to the southern Appalachians.
Periods of snow affected the northern Plains and the Midwest, benefiting winter grains but hampering travel and increasing livestock stress. The heaviest snow fell from Montana into the lower Great Lakes region. Most of the remainder of the country, including the upper Great Lakes region, the southern Plains, and much of the West, experienced dry weather.
Cold weather across the Plains and Midwest contrasted with record-setting warmth in the West. Weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 20 degrees above normal in many Western locations. Warm weather also prevailed across the lower Southeast, but temperatures averaged at least 10 to 20 degrees below normal across the northern Plains and upper Midwest.
Western precipitation was generally confined to the region’s northern tier, from the Pacific Northwest to the northern and central Rockies. Warm, dry weather across the remainder of the West resulted in the premature loss of some high-elevation snowpack.