Image (click to enlarge): U.S. temperatures at 3 pm CST, January 19, 2014, from Unisys
9 PM Update: Added Hastings, Broken Bow, Imperial NE and Salina, Russell KS
Original post:
A mid-winter mini-heatwave tied or broke long-standing high temperature records across at least 3 states on January 19, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service (NWS). The 65° at Omaha absolutely crushed the previous record for the date of 60°, which dated back 119 years to 1895. Omaha is one of the original official Weather Bureau observing sites whose climate history began in 1871. An 1895 record also fell at Lincoln, where it was 66°.
The preliminary records reported by the NWS (POR indicates the year in which the period of record began):
| | Location | Record | Previous | Date | POR |
| NE | Lincoln | 66 | 65 | 1895 | 1887 |
| | Norfolk | 66 | 66 | 1921 | 1888 |
| | Omaha | 65 | 60 | 1895 | 1871 |
| | McCook | 68 | 66 | 1997 | 1896 |
| | Chadron | 61 | 60 | 2003 | 1895 |
| | Grand Island | 68 | 62 | 1997 | 1895 |
| | Hastings | 67 | 62 | 1921 | 1894 |
| | Broken Bow | 65 | 64 | 1951 | 1894 |
| | Imperial | 66 | 66 | 1911 | 1893 |
| KS | Hill City | 69 | 66 | 2006 | 1896 |
| | Salina | 68 | 68 | 2003 | 1894 |
| | Russell | 69 | 69 | 1986 | 0 |
| IA | Sioux City | 65 | 59 | 1921 | 1889 |
