© The cold front left places like Tekamah, Neb. sitting at 77 degrees while O'Neill, Neb. had 44 degrees.SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
You might have mistaken Saturday for summer, with some parts of Siouxland having temps in the 70's. But 24 hours later, the area was 40 to 50 degrees cooler.
Leah Widner of Sioux City was out running in it. Sure, she's dealt with temps like this before, but it doesn't mean she has to like it.
"I definitely don't like it. But it just comes with living in the Midwest," she said.
Weather experts blame the dramatic temperature swing on a cold front that swept through the area last evening. Frigid northern air moved in, as southern breezes and summer like storms moved out. It all happened very quickly.
"We actually had temperatures drop, in some places, 15 to 18 degrees with in an hour," said Forecaster Jennifer Hacker with the National Weather Service.
The front left places like Tekamah, Neb. sitting at 77 while O'Neill, Neb. had 44.
Hacker says the month of November has the ingredients to make these shifts happen.
"We can start to tap into that really strong cold air from Canada, and up in the Arctic area, that starts to push these cold fronts through. But, we're still able to draw the moisture and the warmer air out of the southern plains," said Hacker.
Yeah, it seems like a cold trick for Mother Nature to play. Still, whatever the weather, sunshine or chilly temps, Widner won't be slowing down.
"Well, I run about everyday and I am not going to let it stop me. No matter how cold it gets," she said.
Here's some good news for warm weather lovers. Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted another warm winter for some areas west of the Mississippi River. Officials say it'll be drier than normal in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Missouri.
