Regina Bird

2 weeks ago | hpj.com | Regina Bird

Opinion, Weather, Weather Watch As we entered into spring, Mother Nature brought a little bit of everything. From blizzard conditions to dust storms to bouts of heavy rain and storms, it was a month that showed a variety of phenomena. Around mid-March, dust storms were noted across the Plains as strong winds howled. The first dust storm occurred March 15 with another just a few days later on March 18 focused in the Southern Plains.

1 month ago | hpj.com | Regina Bird

Opinion, Weather, Weather Watch Winter sent us a stark reminder it wasn’t over yet during the month of February. Arctic air plunged south and we were left with quite a cold stretch. Following that, we felt the opposite side of the thermometer as temperatures were mild to finish off the month. One example of this large swing in temperatures was in Broken Bow, Nebraska, where a record low of minus 32 degrees Fahrenheit was noted on Feb.

2 months ago | hpj.com | Regina Bird

We all know what April showers bring, but what about January snow on Texas beaches? A rare winter snowstorm left accumulating snow on Galveston beaches in January before it trekked to the east. The last time snow fell in Galveston was more than 20 years ago (in 2004). The south’s January 2025 snowstorm left accumulating snow in other parts of Texas as well. There were other notable snowstorms that pushed through the Plains during the month of January other than that one.

Jan 3, 2025 | hpj.com | Regina Bird

It was far from a white Christmas for much of the Plains as the lack of snow continued into the month of December. While winter wheat relies on the snow to protect it during cold stretches, mild temperatures during the month meant not as much stress in that sense for those crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Drought conditions were really the bigger issue for winter wheat in the Plains as that continued to stress the crop in some areas.

Dec 6, 2024 | hpj.com | Regina Bird

Beneficial precipitation fell during the month of November across portions of the Plains. Often this time of year, it would’ve come down as snow. While that was the case for some areas, the majority of moisture fell as rain. One example of the beneficial moisture was several spots in eastern Oklahoma that recorded 10 to 14 inches of rain during the first 25 days of November, according to Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) reports.