We kicked off 2023 with some beneficial precipitation for parts of the Plains.
Some of that precipitation came in the form of a wintry mix or heavy snow, but some areas that have really been hurting from drought finally saw moisture to help start to dig out of deficits.
A series of winter storms late in the month brought in accumulating snow. There was even some record-breaking totals in Nebraska with North Platte and Hastings coming in with the highest daily snowfall measured for any January day. On Jan. 18, North Platte had 13.9 inches of snow stacked up and Hastings came in with 10.8 inches of snow that day. Custer County, in Nebraska, had several reports approaching 2 feet from that storm.
Just a few days later, another wet snow blanketed parts of Kansas and southern Nebraska. It held some great moisture as the liquid equivalent for snow that fell in Concordia, Kansas, was noted as 0.52 inches for Jan. 21.
Another system gave areas farther south an opportunity to catch some snow. On Jan. 24, several inches of snow accumulated from the Texas panhandle to southern and eastern Kansas. Several regions in the Texas panhandle and northeast Texas had 6 to 10 inches of snow with that system with scattered 3- to 6-inch reports coming from Oklahoma and into Kansas.
In the global view, a transition to ENSO-neutral is expected from La Niña sometime in the next few months.
The February outlook for precipitation keeps things dry for southern Texas as they are predicted for below average precipitation.
Through April, that will likely remain for that area along with western Texas, western Oklahoma, western Kansas, and western Nebraska.
Temperatures are forecast to be above average for southern Texas for February while the northern Plains into northern Nebraska will likely experience temperatures below seasonal.
Above normal temperatures will likely stretch into all of Texas and Oklahoma through April.
I’m always keeping an eye to the sky (and the weather patterns), so watch for next month’s update.
Editor’s note: Regina Bird grew up on a farm near Belleville, Kansas. The views from the farm helped spur her interest in weather. Following high school, she went on to get a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from the University of Kansas. She currently works as a meteorologist for NTV and KFXL in central Nebraska. Follow her on Twitter: @ReginaBirdWX.
