OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ Nebraska saw a number of low-temperature records broken Monday, February 15th and Tuesday, February 14th as a polar vortex pushed Arctic air into the Plains.
The National Weather Service said record lows broken early Monday were seen in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings and North Platte.
As the temperatures and wind chills plummeted, some rolling electrical blackouts were reported in Omaha and Lincoln.
In Omaha, the temperature dropped to 15 F below zero, breaking the old daily record of 12 F below set on Feb. 15, 1936. Lincoln hit 16 F below overnight, breaking the previous low of 11 F below set on Feb. 15, 1978.
In Hastings, the temperature fell to 26 F below _ the coldest day in the month of February in the city’s history and breaking the previous record of 22 F below. North Platte saw a low of 29 F below, shattering the previous Feb. 15 record of minus 23 F in 1881.
Even with the record-breaking temperatures, none fell as low as Valentine in north-central Nebraska early Monday, which saw the mercury dip to 33 F below zero.
The weather service issued a wind chill advisory for the entire state, warning that even moderate winds were expected to push the “feels like’’ temperature to as low as 50 F below zero. Wind chills that low could result in frostbite on exposed skin in just minutes, the weather service warned.
The cold and the Presidents Day holiday led schools around the state closed in-person classes on Monday.
