Rusty Lord

Omaha

Senior Chief Meteorologist at WOWT-TV (Omaha, NE)

Senior Chief Meteorologist. I point at a big green wall early in the morning. Pet peeves: ATM fees and the phrase 'Is it gonna tornado?'

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Articles

EXPLAINER: Searching for tornadoes at night poses elevated risk

2 months ago | 1011now.com | Rusty Lord |Jackson Piercy

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Tornadoes are dangerous at any time of day, but when the sun goes down, twisters in the dark can pose a unique set of challenges. During the day, it is pretty easy to see tornadoes, they’re crystal clear when you have the sunlight, giving them some definitive shape. However, challenges are presented by storm chasing as you go deeper and deeper into the evening.
Rusty's First Alert Forecast

Aug 20, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - We're starting Wednesday with some spotty showers on the map and even a few storms. Those will move from northwest to southeast and bring a few bouts of rain to the area this morning. We'll spend the afternoon trying to break through the clouds much like yesterday. I think we can break through a bit more than yesterday though and see a little more warmth. Highs in the upper 70s with manageable dew points will make for another good afternoon and evening.
Rusty's First Alert Forecast

Aug 18, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - You'll notice some patchy fog as we start the day today. There are some spotty showers on the map west of the metro we'll have to watch too. That fog will burn off as the sun rises but those spotty showers could be a bit more stubborn to get rid of. As we get some afternoon sunshine we'll be able to warm into the lower 80s. It will feel a bit muggy as well but nothing too far outside the norm for August.
Morning & evening storm threat Wednesday

Aug 12, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Wednesday is now a 6 First Alert Weather Day due to the potential for two rounds of storms to impact the day. The first round of storms would be in the morning and leftover from the night before. It would likely be the weaker of the two and result in mostly downpours that could impact the morning commute. I would expect that round to be out of the area no later than 9am.
Rusty's First Alert Forecast

Aug 11, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - We'll have quite a few clouds moving through the area today and that should help to keep us cooler than average once again. Highs in the upper 70s are likely for most of us. Rain chances are in the forecast as early as noon today but by far the best chances to see some rain and storms will be after 10pm tonight. The majority of us should stay dry before then.
Rusty's 6 First Alert Forecast

Aug 7, 2024 | wowt.com | Jaret Lansford |Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Thursday starts off with spotty showers sweeping through the area. We don't expect those to be all that widespread or heavy as they move through. The bulk of those happen in the morning with rain chances ending by 10AM. The morning hours will also be breezy with gusts that could reach 25 miles per hour. A few gusts to 20 mph are possible into the afternoon as much drier air settles in too. Dew points will plummet on the muggy meter all day.
Rusty's First Alert Forecast

Aug 6, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - You may want to wear some long sleeves as you head out into the chilly morning air that we have for Wednesday morning. Several places are in the 50s as you get started but we should warm into the 80s by the afternoon. There is the small chance of a sprinkle or shower during the middle of the day. Most of those either fade as they move in or stay north of the metro.
Rusty's First Alert Forecast

Aug 1, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Some of the coolest air we'll have over the next few days is out there this morning. Temps in the 60s before 8am will allow for some relief for those without air conditioning. We'll quickly heat up into the 80 by the lunch hour though and make it into the lower 90s around the metro this afternoon. Thankfully dew points won't be incredibly high on the muggy meter helping to keep the heat index within a few degrees of the air temp.
Intense heat likely through Wednesday

Jul 28, 2024 | wowt.com | Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Today we kick start another intense 3 day stretch of heat that will send our heat index values up over 100 degrees each afternoon. 6 First Alert Weather Days will be in place through Wednesday when the worst of the heat is expected. Heat index values will gradually tick up each day with us getting up close to 110 degrees both Tuesday & Wednesday afternoon.
Long stretch of summer heat intensifies Monday

Jul 25, 2024 | wowt.com | Emily Roehler |Rusty Lord

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Monday begins a stretch of our most intense hot weather with highs in the mid 90s and above! We've made it a 6 First Alert Weather Day to mark the start of this long hot stretch, which likely continues into Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Previously it looked like the most intense heat would begin Sunday... but the forecast is trending cooler though the weekend with high only reaching the low 90s.