Chilly weather and chili recipe!!

Well, we’ve definitely been spoiled- but it’s going to look a lot more like November for this coming week.  High temperatures mainly in the mid-upper 40s and lows back near freezing. 

And we’re keeping a close eye on a closed upper-level low pressure system currently developing near Colorado.  A winter storm warning has already been posted for Denver, where they could easily pick up 6-12″ of the white stuff.  If you’re traveling toward Denver, especially along I-70 for the beginning of the week, you’ll want to take a look at the roads before you head that way.  A winter storm watch is in effect from Sunday evening until Monday evening for central Kansas, meaning travel could be a little dicey.

As far as things go for us, we may see some showers in southern portions of the region by Sunday afternoon and into Monday.  And the farther south (and closer to the low) you go, the more likely some of this rain could be mixed with some flakes.  We’ll keep an especially close eye on this storm system Monday through Wednesday.  Depending on the storm track, we will need to watch for where the rain may switch to snow.  Right now it looks like south of I-80- but we’ll need to watch both the track and timing of the storm system.  We’ll have a much better clue by tomorrow and Monday.

But hey, it’s perfect weather for chili.  I’ve added my favorite recipe to the bottom of this- It’s won me a chili cookoff before.  And my brother won 2nd place with it too.  I may have to stock up on the ingredients for it this week too!

Southwest Chili
You will need:

1 can chili beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can stewed tomatoes- you can usually find a mexican variety
1 packet ranch dressing mix- in the dressing aisle (hidden valley)
1 packet chili seasoning- in the spices aisle, I usually get a medium
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes/chilis-

 1 package of ground beef and chopped onion- about half a medium onion. 

Brown the meat and drain fat if necessary.  Cook the onion with the meat.  Add chili seasoning directly onto the meat.

Don’t drain the beans or tomatoes.  Put them all in the pot.  Drain
the corn.  Put it in the pot.  Add the ranch dressing mix and the
browned meat.  Simmer on a low/medium setting.   After it starts to
boil definitely turn it down to a low setting.

Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream.

Let me know if you try it!

Melissa Hoeman

Turning Cooler… Soon…

First off… let me just say that Mother Nature was very kind to us on Veterans Day… with mostly sunny skies and highs near 60 around the metro.  That made for great weather for the Veterans Day ceremony at Omaha’s Memorial Park… where turn-out was great and all of our elected officials (along with Vice Admiral Carl Mauney, Deputy Commander of U.S. Strategic Command) gave patriotic speeches.

While we’ll see quite a bit more cloud cover this Thursday… a south breeze will keep our temperatures well above average… with highs in the lower to middle 60s (our “average” high is now 49).  Those clouds will stick around into Friday… with drizzle developing by morning and and rain possible toward evening.  That rain will be along and behind a cool front that will cross the area on Friday afternoon.

Once our next cool front passes… look for temps to be at (or below) average into the next work-week.  For the weekend… that means highs in the mid to upper 40s.  As for precipitation… most of the weekend will be dry… with a slight chance of light rain early Saturday morning and then a chance of showers Sunday evening.

Now… let’s take a look at our weekend college football weather:

• Colorado @ Iowa State: Partly sunny with temps around 50 at kickoff (1pm)
• Iowa @ Ohio State: Mostly sunny with temps in the mid 60s at kickoff (2:30pm)
• Nebraska @ Kansas: Slight chance of rain with temps in the lower 50s at kickoff (2:30pm)

A quick reminder about the latter game: if you’re not heading down to Lawrence… you can catch all the Husker action on KETV Channel 7.  We’ll have an hour long pre-game show… Big Red Zone Gameday… set to roll at 1:30pm… followed by the Nebraska-Kansas match-up.

Chuck McWilliams

Seasonably Warm Weather

What a terrific weekend we just had in the Omaha metro!!  Our highs on Saturday and Sunday were, respectively, 71 and 75.  That made it our warmest weekend since late September.  While we won’t be quite that warm this week… our temperatures will remain above average for mid-November… with highs generally in the low to mid 60s into the next weekend.  As for precipitation… we look dry until (maybe) Saturday.

Fortunately the weather looks seasonably mild for Wednesday… as many locations will be holding Veterans Day ceremonies (and more than a few of those will be held outside).  Last year… we had light rain and drizzle… along with temperatures in the mid 30s on November 11th.  This year… as mentioned above… we should be dry and at least 10 to 20 degrees warmer.

If you’re looking for a Veterans Day ceremony to attend… here are a couple of suggestions around the metro.  Metro Community College will be holding a ceremony at 11am at their south campus… this will be held indoor at the Industrial Training Center Conference Room.

At Memorial Park in Omaha… the local chapters of the Vietnam Veterans of America… alongside the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars… will be sponsoring the Veterans Day ceremony… scheduled also for 11am.  I have been given the honor to serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event… which will feature speeches and comments by Vice Admiral Carl Mauney (Deputy Commander, United States Strategic Command), Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, U.S. Congressman Lee Terry, U.S. Senator Mike Johanns, U.S. Senator Ben Nelson, and Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman.

Chuck McWilliams

Now this is more like it!!

The beautiful weather we’ve seen over the past week has almost (and I mean almost!) made up for kind of a crummy October in my opinion.  This is a little more of what we expect for fall in the Central Plains, now isn’t it?!

During the first week of November, the average high temperature has been 62.9.  That’s up from an average of 55.0 in October.  And especially not bad when you consider normals for this time of the year are in the low to mid 50s.  I’ll take it!

Oh and you may find this interesting too.  Saturday’s high of 71 was only 6 degrees shy of a record of 77 set back in 2001.  And if you look back to November 7, 2008- the high was only 38.  So we were nearly 40 degrees warmer than a year ago!!!

The average low for November 1-7 has been 36.4 .  This is pretty similar to the average from last month of 38.5.  And we’ve had a nice dry spell.  Thankfully for farmers- we’ve only seen a trace of rainfall at the Eppley Airfield so far in November.  By the way.. normal rainfall by November 7 for the month is 0.48. 

I’ve seen a lot of people taking advantage of the sunshine… From raking leaves, to hanging Christmas decorations (is it that time already?!), to washing cars- it’s all easier when the sun’s shining!  And if anyone’s up to it, my car could use a bath too!!

After another warm Sunday, temperatures for the workweek will be a little closer to normal… Mainly in the upper 50s and low 60s.  Still, looking pretty good for November in this meteorologist’s opinion!

Melissa Hoeman

A Nice Fall Warm-Up

After a chilly start to our day… with many locations seeing lows below freezing… look for a nice warm-up over the next several days.  South winds… combined with lots of sunshine… will take us into the 60s by mid-afternoon Thursday.  While we’ll see some low clouds early Friday… the warming trend should continue with late day temperatures in the upper 60s.

The weekend looks good as well… maybe even better!!  Saturday should be terrific with mostly sunny skies and highs near 70… which is around 15 degrees above average for early November.  Even with increasing cloudiness on Sunday (ahead of our next rain chance… which will arrive early Monday)… we’ll still climb into the mid 60s.

For Husker football fans… especially those planning on hanging out at Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening… Mother Nature will be quite friendly.  Look for clear skies and temperatures in the mid 60s at kickoff (7pm)… and temps dropping back into the upper 50s by the end of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game.  For fans unable to attend the match-up in Lincoln… they can tune into KETV Channel 7 for all of the action.

Here’s a look at some of the other gridiron action this weekend:

• Northwestern @ Iowa:  Sunny with temps in the upper 50s at kickoff (11:02am)
• Oklahoma State @ Iowa State:  Sunny with temps in the mid 60s at kickoff (2:30pm)
• UNO @ Missouri Western:  Sunny with temps near 70 at kickoff (1:30pm)

Chuck McWilliams

The Week Ahead…

What an end to the weekend?!?!  Sunday brought us fair amounts of sunshine and highs in the lower 70s.  In fact… our high of 72 at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield was warmer than the entire month of October!  While those pleasant conditions won’t quite continue into this work-week… it won’t be entirely bad either.

We’ll see lots of clouds on this Monday… and even a few light showers into mid-day… but temperatures will remain around “average” for early November.  Outside of another slight chance of rain Tuesday afternoon… the remainder of our forecast looks dry through the next weekend… with highs climbing back into the 60s by Friday.

Chuck McWilliams

October in Review

So it’s the end of October… already!  What a wet and dreary month it’s been!

If it seemed like it rained every day this month, it’s because we were pretty close!  Out of 31 days in the month, 23 of those saw at least a trace of rainfall (or more!).  No wonder it feels like we’ve barely seen the sun!  We ended the month with 3.47″ on record at the airport.  That compared to normal of 2.21, puts us 1.26 inches ahead for the month.  We’re still down about 2″ for the year, however.

The wettest day was Thursday, October 22 when we picked up 1.02″ at Eppley Airfield.

The warmest day was Wednesday, October 7.  We saw a high that day of 72.  Only one more day during October reached the 70s.  On Monday the 19th it was 70 on the dot.

The coldest temperature at Eppley Airfield 0ccurred twice.  It was 27 on both October 10 and 26.

And who could forget that 3.5″ snow at the airport on October 10?

The average high this month was only 55.  No wonder it felt chilly! 

Fortunately, this first week of November is looking a little better to me.  Temperatures will mainly be in the upper 50s and lower 60s.  Finally some of the fall weather we can all enjoy!  I might not even mind raking leaves when it’s sunny and pleasant out!

Melissa Hoeman

Wet… But Still Mild

Wednesday was our first day in around a week with temperatures at or above average… as Omaha’s Eppley Airfield reported a high of 62.  While we’ll still have mild temps on this Thursday… it will also be rather wet.  Rain… heavy at times (with even a few thundershowes)… will last into early afternoon.  Occasional showers are possible into late Thursday evening… although they’ll be a bit less widespread after 3pm.

For folks who aren’t looking forward to a damp day… with an inch or more of rainfall possible in spots… it could be A LOT worse.  A major late October snowstorm will continue into tonight out to the west of us… as parts of western South Dakota… the Nebraska panhandle… southeastern Wyoming… and northeastern Colorado are seeing more than a foot of snow.  In fact… some higher elevations around Denver will end up with nearly 3 feet of the white stuff!!

The wet weather moves out in time for the upcoming weekend… which is a BIG one for all of the area ghouls and goblins.  Saturday (Halloween) looks cool… but dry.  Skies should be mostly clear with temperatures in the upper 40s as trick-or-treaters hit the streets.

This weekend is special to many adults… as well.  With Daylight Saving Time coming to an end early Sunday morning… folks need to remember to set their clocks BACK one hour before hitting the hay Saturday night.  That… of course… means a little (well-needed for most of us) extra shut-eye… which may be necessary following all of the Halloween activities and a full slate of college football action.

Speaking of the latter… here’s how Mother Nature plans on spending college football Saturday:

• Nebraska @ Baylor:  Mostly sunny with temps in the lower 60s around kickoff (11:30am)
• Indiana @ Iowa:  Partly cloudy with temps in the mid 40s around kickoff (11:05am)
• Iowa State @ Texas A&M:  Sunny with temps near 70 around kickoff (2:30pm)
• Pittsburg State @ UNO:  Mostly sunny with temps near 50 around kickoff (1pm)

Chuck McWilliams

Stormy End to Training

Severe Thunderstorm

After a (mostly) chilly time in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland… where highs (yes… I said highs) were only in the upper 30s for a couple of days (in June!!)… we spent our last night at Ellsworth Air Force Base (just east of Rapid City).  The weather was warmer… but also very stormy.  While we did receive heavy rain at Ellsworth… the strongest part of the storm (including baseball-sized hail) missed us and (ironically) hit near our previous “home” in the field.

While we’re not expecting any severe weather in the metro… we could hear some rumbles of thunder on Thursday.  Steady southeast winds on this Wednesday will usher in increasing amounts of moisture… making for a cloudy day and providing the “fuel” for rain showers by early Thursday morning.

On the plus side… we’re just talking about rain in our area.  It’s a different story to our west.  Folks from Denver (Colorado) to Casper (Wyoming) and eastward into the Nebraska panhandle are under Winter Storm Watches and Warnings.  This area could see 12 to 18 inches of snow over the next 36 hours… with more than 2 feet of snow possible in the higher elevations.  Anyone planning on traveling in that direction is advised to closely monitor the weather situation and adjust plans accordingly.

Chuck McWilliams

More rain… Seriously?

So it’s my first Nebraska fall.  Really, it’s my first full month of living life as a Nebraskan, since I didn’t get here until the fifth of September.  Already, I’m wondering if I made a wrong turn and wound up in Seattle… I’m a midwest girl, so I know that falls are usually a beautiful season here.  But this  year, it’s just been wet and dreary.  And the forecast for the last full week of October certainly doesn’t look any better.

So far this month, we’ve seen 2.68″ rain at the Eppley Airfield.  That’s quite a bit, considering normals by October 24 are about 1.78″.  That puts us nearly an inch ahead for the month: .90″ to be exact.  And maybe we wouldn’t mind the rain so much if temperatures hadn’t been so chilly.  As of today, we’ve seen 10 days this month with highs below 50 degrees.  Considering normals for October are in the low to mid 60s, that’s surely a shock to the system.  Especially for someone like me, moving from South Carolina. 

The good news? I have a pair of galoshes.  The bad news? I may need them, especially this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  Looks like a couple more frog stranglers (that’s a term I learned at my first job in Lubbock!)

Oh and by the way… They’ve seen 3.67″ rain so far in October in Seattle- which is even about 1.5″ above normal even for them.

 

Melissa Hoeman