000
CXUS53 KGID 021813 CCA
CLMHSI

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
430 PM CDT THU NOV 1 2012

UPDATED TO INCLUDE NARRATIVE AND FURTHER DETAILS AT BOTTOM

...................................

...THE HASTINGS NE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1894 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              97   10/05/1947
 LOW                4   10/27/1997
HIGHEST            83   10/03        88      -5       89  10/04
LOWEST             24   10/27        22       2       22  10/20
AVG. MAXIMUM     62.1              64.4    -2.3     68.4
AVG. MINIMUM     36.9              40.9    -4.0     41.5
MEAN             49.5              52.6    -3.1     54.9
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.4    -0.4        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.1    -0.1        0
DAYS MIN <= 32     10               4.9     5.1        7
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         6.16   2008
 MINIMUM         0.00   1988
                        1958
                        1952
TOTALS           1.46              1.99   -0.53     1.36
DAILY AVG.       0.05              0.06   -0.01     0.04
DAYS >= .01         7                                  5
DAYS >= .10         3                                  3
DAYS >= .50         1                                  1
DAYS >= 1.00        0                                  0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.86   10/12 TO 10/13

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           17.4   1997
TOTALS              T               1.0    -1.0      0.0
SINCE 7/1           T               1.2    -1.2      0.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                                  0
DAYS >= 1.0         0                                  0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         0                                  0

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     474               397      77      329
 SINCE 7/1        561               493      68      487
COOLING TOTAL       0                14     -14       24
 SINCE 1/1       1339              1077     262     1119
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.4
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    46/320    DATE  10/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    59/320    DATE  10/18

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.30
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           20
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              7
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          4

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     59

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              4     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                3     RAIN                       1
LIGHT RAIN                9     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                1     SLEET                      0
FOG                       6     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      2
HAZE                      6

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

...OCTOBER 2012 SUMMARY FOR HASTINGS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...

...TEMPERATURES

1 DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD SET IN OCT. 2012:
OCT. 6: RECORD COLD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 43 (PREVIOUS 45 IN 2000)

AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE:    62.1 DEGREES (2.3 BELOW NORMAL)
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE:     36.9 DEGREES (4.0 BELOW NORMAL)
AVERAGE MEAN TEMPERATURE:    49.5 DEGREES (3.1 BELOW NORMAL)

WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE:      83 DEGREES ON THE 3RD
COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE:      41 DEGREES ON THE 26TH

COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE:       24 DEGREES ON THE 27TH
WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE:       50 DEGREES ON THE 16TH

WARMEST 2-DAY STRETCH BASED
ON AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE:   79.0 DEGREES FROM THE 15TH-16TH

WARMEST 7-DAY STRETCH BASED
ON AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE:   70.7 DEGREES FROM THE 15TH-21ST

COLDEST 2-DAY STRETCH BASED
ON AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE:   42.0 DEGREES FROM THE 25TH-26TH

COLDEST 7-DAY STRETCH BASED
ON AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE:   50.0 DEGREES FROM THE 22ND-28TH

COLDEST 7-DAY STRETCH BASED
ON AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURES:   30.0 DEGREES FROM THE 25TH-31ST


...PRECIPITATION/SNOWFALL

NO DAILY PRECIPITATION OR SNOWFALL RECORDS SET IN OCT. 2012

TOTAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION: 1.46 INCHES (0.53 BELOW NORMAL)
TOTAL MONTHLY SNOWFALL:      TRACE (1.0 BELOW NORMAL)

NUMBER OF DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION (0.01 OR MORE): 7

HIGHEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION: 0.81 INCHES ON THE 13TH
HIGHEST 2-DAY PRECIPITATION:        0.86 INCHES ON THE 12TH-13TH

PRECIPITATION TOTALS AND
DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS:

MONTH          PRECIP.  DEPARTURE

NOV. 2011       0.38      -0.91
DEC. 2011       1.00      +0.39
JAN. 2012       0.14      -0.27
FEB. 2012       1.67      +1.18
MARCH 2012      0.86      -0.93
APRIL 2012      2.95      +0.39
MAY 2012        4.07      -0.50
JUNE 2012       2.35      -1.45
JULY 2012       1.64      -2.10
AUG. 2012       2.39      -0.91
SEP. 2012       0.59      -1.97
OCT. 2012       1.46      -0.53

12-MONTH TOTAL  19.50     -7.61


...OTHER WEATHER ELEMENTS

HIGHEST WIND GUST: 59 MPH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON THE 18TH
(GRADIENT WIND FROM A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM)

HIGHEST SURFACE SEA LEVEL PRESSURE: 30.58 ON THE 26TH
LOWEST SURFACE SEA LEVEL PRESSURE:  29.33 ON THE 17TH


...OCTOBER 2012 NARRATIVE FOR HASTINGS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...

TEMPS AND PRECIP BOTH CONTINUE A BELOW NORMAL TREND...

FOR THE THIRD MONTH IN A ROW...THE MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE
REGISTERED BELOW NORMAL...BUT THIS TIME AROUND WAS THE FARTHEST
BELOW NORMAL SINCE SEPTEMBER 2011. HOWEVER...THE SAME OLD STORY
CONTINUED IN THE PRECIPITATION DEPARTMENT...AS HASTINGS NOTCHED ITS
SIXTH STRAIGHT MONTH OF BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL...KEEPING THE AREA
MIRED IN EXTREME DROUGHT ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR.

FOCUSING FIRST ON TEMPERATURES...THE MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE
RESULTING FROM AVERAGING THE HIGHS AND LOWS WAS 49.5 DEGREES (3.1
BELOW NORMAL). THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE BELOW NORMAL
MONTH WAS DAILY LOW TEMPERATURES WHICH AVERAGED 36.9 DEGREES (4.0
BELOW NORMAL). DAILY HIGHS AVERAGED 62.1 DEGREES (2.3 BELOW NORMAL).
THE WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH WAS 83 DEGREES ON THE
3RD...AND THE COLDEST LOW WAS 24 DEGREES ON THE 27TH. THE FIRST
OFFICIAL HARD FREEZE OF THE FALL SEASON OCCURRED ON THE 6TH WHEN THE
MERCURY DROPPED TO 27 DEGREES. BREAKING DOWN THE MONTH INTO
TEMPERATURE TRENDS...THERE WERE TWO FAIRLY DISTINCT PERIODS OF WELL
BELOW NORMAL READINGS...ONE FOCUSED BETWEEN THE 4TH-7TH AND THE
OTHER BETWEEN THE 25TH-27TH. DURING THE FIRST OF THESE
STRETCHES...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 43 DEGREES ON THE 6TH SET A NEW
RECORD-COOLEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE DATE...AND IN FACT WAS
THE COOLEST MAX TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN HASTINGS DURING THE
FIRST SIX DAYS OF OCTOBER! ON THE WARMER SIDE OF THINGS ONLY TWO
DAYS REACHED OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES (THE 3RD AND 15TH). FOCUSING
ON WEEK-LONG PERIODS...THE OVERALL COOLEST WEEK PER DAILY HIGH
TEMPERATURES WAS CENTERED BETWEEN THE 22ND-28TH...DURING WHICH FIVE
OF THE DAYS WERE 52 DEGREES OR COOLER.

PRECIPITATION-WISE...THE MONTHLY TOTAL OF 1.46 INCHES AT HASTINGS
MUNICIPAL AIRPORT WAS 73 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF 1.99
INCHES. ALTHOUGH STILL BELOW NORMAL...THIS OCTOBER WAS ACTUALLY
WETTER THAN OCT. 2011 AND ESPECIALLY OCT. 2010...WHICH ONLY TALLIED
A MEAGER 0.16 INCHES. MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION THIS OCTOBER...0.86
INCHES...FELL DURING THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN THE LATE EVENING OF THE
12TH AND THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 13TH. DESPITE THE STEADILY
GROWING RAINFALL DEFICIT OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS...HASTINGS
CONTINUES TO FAIR BETTER THAN NEARBY LOCATIONS SUCH AS GRAND ISLAND
CENTRAL NEBRASKA REGIONAL AIRPORT...WHICH MEASURED 0.68 INCHES LESS
THAN HASTINGS DURING OCTOBER. FOR THE YEAR 2012 AS A WHOLE...THE
HASTINGS TOTAL PRECIPITATION OF 18.12 INCHES STANDS 7.09 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL...AND MARKS THE DRIEST FIRST TEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR
SINCE 2002...WHICH ONLY HAD 15.72 INCHES AT THIS POINT.

ALTHOUGH NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED HASTINGS DURING THE
MONTH...A TWO-DAY HIGH WIND EVENT BUFFETED THE REGION BETWEEN THE
17TH-18TH AS A DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FORMED IN MINNESOTA. PEAK
WIND GUSTS FROM THE NORTHWEST ON BOTH DAYS WERE 51 MPH AND 59
MPH...RESPECTIVELY.

$$

PFANNKUCH/DOXEY