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Thanks to westerly breezes overspreading the Central Plains ahead of a strong cold front, an unusually warm airmass for mid-October developed on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, resulting in not only daily record high temperatures, but also record high temperatures for the entire month of October!
Although NWS Hastings collects climate and weather information for numerous official NWS observation sites across South Central Nebraska and North Central Kansas, the only sites for which "formal" record statements are issued are Grand Island and Hastings airports. Details for these two primary sites follow below...
Grand Island (Central Nebraska Regional Airport):
On Oct. 11, 2015, the high temperature at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island soared to 97°. This was an incredible 30° warmer than the "normal"/average Oct. 11th high of 67°.
Location | High Temp (10-11-15) | Previous Monthly Record |
Grand Island (Central Nebraska Regional Airport) |
97° | 96° on Oct. 5, 1947 |
October temperature records at Grand Island date back to 1895.
Hastings (Municipal Airport):
On Oct. 11, 2015, high temperature at Hastings Municipal Airport soared to 97°. This was an incredible 30° warmer than the "normal"/average Oct. 11th high of 67°.
Location | High Temp (10-11-15) |
Previous Monthly Record |
Hastings (Municipal Airport) |
97° | 97° on Oct. 5, 1947 |
October temperature records at Hastings date back to 1907, and are based on NWS Cooperative Observer reports between 1907-1995, and on the automated ASOS at Hastings Muncipal Airport since 1996.
The image below includes surface analysis maps, the left showing maps from 1:30 p.m. October 5, 1947 (the previous highest October high temp record for Grand Island/Hastings) and the right is from 1 p.m. this afternoon. Note that both record breaking/tying days involved our area being ahead of an approaching cold front in the western Dakotas with a trough axis extending through the area...allowing for more westerly winds to develop and deeper mixing into warmer air aloft.
(*Please Note: All climate data presented here are preliminary and have not undergone final quality control by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Therefore, these data are subject to revision. Final and certified climate data can be accessed at: WWW.NCDC.NOAA.GOV)
This page was composed by the staff at the National Weather Service in Hastings, Nebraska. |