National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

OCTOBER 2009 WAS MUCH COLDER AND WETTER THAN NORMAL WITH TEMPERATURES   
TYPICAL OF NOVEMBER. IT WAS ALSO SNOWY ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH   
CENTRAL NEBRASKA...WITH MANY LOCATIONS RECEIVING WELL OVER A FOOT OF   
SNOW FOR THE MONTH. THREE MAJOR WINTER STORMS IMPACTED WESTERN AND   
NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA DURING THE MONTH. THE FIRST SYSTEM WAS ON THE   
NINTH AND TENTH...THE SECOND ON THE TWENTY SECOND...AND THE THIRD   
SYSTEM POUNDED WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA ON THE TWENTY   
NINTH AND THIRTIETH.    
  
FOR NORTH PLATTE...THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE WAS 40.9   
DEGREES...AND WAS 8.8 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 49.7 DEGREES   
MAKING IT THE SECOND COLDEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE DAILY   
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 51.8 DEGREES WHICH WAS 13.8 DEGREES BELOW THE   
NORMAL OF 65.6 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE DAILY LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 30.0   
DEGREES AND WAS 3.7 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 33.7 DEGREES. FOR   
THE MONTH...4 DAILY RECORD LOWS AND 2 DAILY LOW MAXIMUM RECORDS WERE   
SET AND ARE HIGHLIGHTED BELOW.  
  
DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS SET IN OCTOBER 2009 FOR NORTH PLATTE.   
  
DATE        TEMPERATURE     OLD RECORD AND YEAR   RECORD TYPE  
  
 3              24                25/1959             LOW  
 9              21                22/1964             LOW  
10              19                20/1906             LOW  
10              28                39/1987         LOW MAXIMUM  
11              18                19/1909             LOW  
11              30                38/1883         LOW MAXIMUM     
       
  
FOR VALENTINE...THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE WAS 40.5 DEGREES...WHICH   
WAS 7.8 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 48.3 DEGREES...MAKING IT THE   
SECOND COLDEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE   
WAS 49.8 DEGREES WHICH WAS 13.7 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 63.5   
DEGREES. THE AVERAGE DAILY LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 31.3 DEGREES...WHICH   
WAS 1.8 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 33.1 DEGREES. THREE DAILY LOW   
MAXIMUM RECORDS WERE SET DURING THE MONTH AT VALENTINE AND ARE   
HIGHLIGHTED BELOW.  
  
DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS SET IN OCTOBER 2009 FOR VALENTINE.  
  
DATE        TEMPERATURE     OLD RECORD AND YEAR(S)   RECORD TYPE  
  
10              35            41/1970,1932,1912      LOW MAXIMUM  
11              33                 40/1946           LOW MAXIMUM  
13              34                 38/1969           LOW MAXIMUM  
  
PRECIPITATION FOR OCTOBER TOTALED 4.29 INCHES AT LEE BIRD   
FIELD...WHICH WAS 3.05 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1.24 INCHES.   
OCTOBER 2009 WILL GO DOWN AS THE THIRD WETTEST ON RECORD FOR NORTH   
PLATTE. IRONICALLY...ONLY ONE DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORD WAS SET   
DURING THE MONTH. ON THE TENTH...0.53 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL   
AT LEE BIRD FIELD BREAKING THE RECORD OF 0.25 INCHES SET PREVIOUSLY   
IN 1912.  
  
OCTOBER WAS A HISTORIC MONTH FOR SNOWFALL IN NORTH PLATTE. DURING THE   
MONTH...30.3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL WHICH WAS A WHOPPING 29.2 INCHES   
ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1.1 INCHES. THE 30.3 INCHES WAS ALSO 1.9 INCHES   
ABOVE THE SEASONAL NORMAL OF 28.4 AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN REACHED WINTER   
YET! SNOWFALL RECEIVED IN OCTOBER 2009 BROKE THE OLD MONTHLY RECORD   
OF 15.7 INCHES WHICH FELL IN 1969. CONSIDERING ALL MONTHS...OCTOBER   
2009 WILL GO DOWN AS THE SNOWIEST MONTH EVER FOR NORTH PLATTE. THE   
30.3 INCHES RECEIVED...BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 27.8 INCHES   
RECORDED IN MARCH 1912. IN ADDITION TO THE TWO MONTHLY RECORDS FOR   
SNOW...FOUR DAILY SNOWFALL RECORDS WERE BROKEN AND ONE RECORD WAS   
TIED. THESE AND ARE SUMMARIZED BELOW.   
  
DAILY SNOWFALL RECORDS IN OCTOBER 2009 FOR NORTH PLATTE  
  
DATE        AMOUNT          PREVIOUS RECORD AND YEAR  
  
 9           2.0                    0.1/1932  
10          11.8                    1.3/1987 *  
13         TRACE                  TRACE/1969 &  
22           4.2                    4.0/1906  
30           7.3                    4.0/1991    
  
*   DENOTES A DAILY RECORD FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER.            
    PREVIOUS DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD FOR OCTOBER WAS 11.5 INCHES   
    WHICH OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 29 1896.  
  
&   DAILY RECORD TIED.  
  
PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH FOR VALENTINE TOTALED 1.61 INCHES AND   
WAS 0.39 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1.22 INCHES. NO DAILY   
PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE SET DURING THE MONTH FOR VALENTINE.   
  
SNOWFALL FOR OCTOBER 2009 TOTALED 3.2 INCHES AT MILLER FIELD AND WAS 1.7   
INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1.5 INCHES. ONE DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD WAS   
BROKEN DURING THE MONTH. ON THE ELEVENTH...1.7 INCHES OF SNOW   
FELL...BREAKING THE RECORD OF 1.0 INCHES SET PREVIOUSLY IN 1986.  
  
   
..NORTH PLATTE AND VALENTINE PRECIPITATION FOR THE LAST 12 MONTHS  
  
                            PRECIPITATION             DEPARTURE  
                            LBF       VTN             LBF        VTN  
MONTH  
  
NOVEMBER 2008               0.34      0.34           -0.42     -0.38   
DECEMBER 2008               0.24      0.24           -0.16     -0.09  
  
JANUARY 2009                0.33      0.42           -0.06      0.12  
FEBRUARY 2009               0.96      0.89            0.45      0.41  
MARCH 2009                  0.32      1.02           -0.92     -0.09  
APRIL 2009                  2.84      2.84            0.87      0.87  
MAY 2009                    2.80      1.50           -0.54     -1.70  
JUNE 2009                   3.06      3.93           -0.11      0.92  
JULY 2009                   5.01      5.13            1.84      1.76  
AUGUST 2009                 2.34      3.47            0.19      1.27  
SEPTEMBER 2009              1.17      0.57           -0.15     -1.04  
OCTOBER 2009                4.29      1.61            3.05      0.39  
  
TOTALS                     23.70     21.96            4.04      2.44