RubyScanlan

With record highs one day and then freezing lows the next, it is hard to tell what season it is. Normally, Nebraska winters are a force to be reckoned with. But this year, the weather seems to be even more wild. All aboard the weather roller coaster with temperatures ranging from the 60s to near zero in the span of 24 hours. 

All of this weather can be explained by looking outside of Omaha, even outside of the United States. But first, for a local viewpoint. Chief meteorologist Bill Randby from KETV has been tracking the weird patterns. “This is one of the biggest…winter weather events since the start of the century, so [from] 2000 to now. This is a huge event,” Randby said.   

With access to computer models, Randby found out that the average temperature for the month of December was 1.8 degrees [Fahrenheit] above average. Christmas was tepid, with temperatures hitting 47 degrees Fahrenheit, with that high being topped just the next day with a high of 56 degrees.

“It’s very difficult to forecast the temperatures because…looking at averages and looking at trends…it’s hard to forecast that warmth,” Randby said. At one point, it felt like spring, with temperatures reaching a high of 67 degrees Fahrenheit on Jan. 7. 

 “One of the five warmest days ever in Omaha history for the month of January,” Randby said. “To forecast 60 in January, how often does that happen?”  

According to Randby, the cause of these huge swings in temperature is due to the La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean. La Niña is “characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific,” according to the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. These temperatures have cooled the jet stream that runs from Canada down to the U.S. jet stream is a “fast, narrow current of air flowing from west to east that encircles the globe” according to the NOAA. “This jet stream pattern is why we are having such fluctuations in temperatures,” Randby said.

Omaha residents have felt the whiplash of the changing temperatures, especially the impact on their daily routines. Sophomore Macy Dolezal finds the warm weather much more convenient in the morning. “It’s easier to get to school because you don’t have to scrape the windshield,” Dolezal said. 

The warmth has invited more people to spend time outside, like junior Lily Italia, during a time of year that they would usually not. “It’s definitely nice walking up from soph and not being immediately dead every morning,” Italia said. 

But, the nicer weather has been disappointing. “I thought we’d have more snow by this point,” Randby said. “I feel like we were kind of robbed of snowfall.”  

“It [stinks] because, you know, it’s winter and… I want to go sledding and go have fun with my friends and play in the snow,” Italia said. 

Dolezal agrees, preferring the white, snowy weather since, “it’s not as pretty outside.” Students like Italia and Dolezal have also lost hope of any weather-related days off. “There’s no snow days,” Dolezal said.

With more wacky weather to come, it is best to stay up to date on the day-to-day forecast through outlets like KETV, the National Weather Service and the Weather Channel. Be mindful of icy conditions and don’t forget to wear a coat.