Brian Neben, Courtesy
HASTINGS — If the first half of February didn’t exactly feel like winter, its because the period was the warmest in 33 years across the Tri-Cities.
Readings from the Hastings airport showed that Feb. 1-14 was the 6th warmest on recorded out of 112 years and the warmest since 1991.
The period featured an overall average temperature of 40.2 degrees, which is 12 degrees above normal.
In Grand Island, it was the third warmest in 129 years and the warmest since 1991. The first 14 days of the month featured an average temperature of 40.2 degrees or 12.3 degrees above normal.
At Kearney, the period was the fifth warmest on record out of 119 years and the warmest since 1991. The average temperature was 39.6 degrees, or 13.1 degrees above normal.
Compared to the previous warmest first halves of February, this year’s was driven more by milder overnight lows than the daytime highs. Kearney and Grand Island saw four nights that never dropped below zero, while Hastings saw five nights.
