OMAHA, Neb, Feb 26, (AP): A warm front swept springlike weather across a large swath of the country Sunday in what is usually one of the coldest months of the year, sending people out of their homes to enjoy the rare winter respite but also bringing increased wildfire danger.
In Omaha, Nebraska, the temperature Sunday broke 65 degrees (18.3 degrees Celsius) on a day when the average high temperature is around the freezing mark, according to the National Weather Service.
"Omaha is having its second warmest February on record in its 154-year history of tracking weather,” National Weather Service meteorologist Michaela Wood said Sunday. "And there's a chance of beating the record yet tomorrow, when we're looking at a high temperature of around 80.”
The sunny warmth brought Stacy Lawson, and her husband, Hugh Lawson, of Omaha, outside for a game of pickleball with friends. But they weren't the only ones.
"Outdoor courts are prime real estate when it's warm,” Stacy Lawson said. "The first one we tried was already filled.”
The Lawsons and their competitors, Tim and Andrea Driscoll, had a hard time remembering the last year they were able to play outside in February.
"In Nebraska, February is both the shortest and longest month of the year,” Tim Driscoll deadpanned.
While the warmer-than-usual temperatures may have provided a break from harsh winter conditions, it didn't come without some concerns. The National Weather Service cited the warmth, along with low humidity, winds gusting more than 35 mph (56 kph) in places, and dry winter vegetation in issuing fire danger alerts in an area stretching across parts of 11 states.
Red flag warnings and fire weather watches were issued in parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, up to Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and east to Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Nearby states, including parts of Arkansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, were issued hazardous weather outlooks because of an increased fire danger, according to weather service maps.
Grass fires were reported in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, area on Sunday as a red flag warning was in effect for much of the eastern part of the state.