National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Needless to say, south central Nebraska and north central Kansas was mired in a multiple-day stretch of well-below average temperatures between March 25-29, 2011, with daily highs in most areas not escaping the 30s. Here is a look at the cold snap, with a comparison to records over the past 100+ years...

Below are a series of tables...

The first of these tables shows the all-time coldest maximum temperatures at GRAND ISLAND for March 25-29 compared to the 2011 results.

The largest two tables break down numbers for 6 locations across the area. In these larger tables are the Top-5 coldest March 25-29 periods on record, based on the overall 5-day average of MAXIMUM temperatures. PLEASE NOTE: These data are based solely on daily maximum temperatures, NOT the overall daily average calculated from both the high and the low.

Finally, the last set of smaller tables are again for GRAND ISLAND only, and document the coldest 2, 3, and 4 day stretches on record for March 25-29 based on maximum temperature averages. This helps to better differentiate between years that had brief but intense cold snaps, versus years where it remained cold for several days in a row.

Here are some highlights that stand out from the following tables:

1.) Despite being around 20 degrees below average the past few days, the recent stretch of late March chill was nowhere close to breaking daily records for coldest maximum temperatures (see first table below). The "typical" high temperature for March 25-29 at Grand Island based on official averages from 1971-2000 is 54 degrees.

2.) HOWEVER, when looking at the 5-day cold snap as a whole, all 6 sites in the larger tables below reflect a "Top-5 Coldest" finish for March 25-29, including Hastings Nebraska and Alton Kansas with 2nd-place finishes.

3.) For most of south central Nebraska and north central Kansas, the last time there was a more intense late-March cold snap was 24 years ago in 1987, when the average high temperature during a 7-day period from March 24-30 at Grand Island was only 34.6 degrees, including a 24-degree high on the 29th. The previous day, March 28, 1987, featured 9 inches of snow.

Date        

21 in 1954

Coldest 5-Day Stretches On Record Between March 25-29

GRAND ISLAND

  Average 5-Day Maximum Temperature

GRAND ISLAND 

Coldest 5-Day Stretches On Record Between March 25-29

HASTINGS

   Average 5-Day Maximum Temperature  

 HASTINGS

KEARNEY AIRPORT

  Average 5-Day Maximum Temperature 

 KEARNEY AIRPORT

Coldest 5-Day Stretches On Record Between March 25-29

HOLDREGE

Average 5-Day Maximum Temperature

 HOLDREGE

Coldest 5-Day Stretches On Record Between March 25-29

LOUP CITY

   Average 5-Day Maximum Temperature  

 LOUP CITY

ALTON KS

  Average 5-Day Maximum Temperature 

 ALTON KS