Weather forecasting has changed over the years and for the most part the changes have been for the better.
But we are still quick to criticize the weather bureau forecasters when they get it wrong. We won’t be satisfied until they are right 100 percent of the time and to the very minute.
Saturday we were told there was a 90 percent chance of rain which might come in torrential amounts. It did rain some place and it was torrential someplace just not where I was so my take is they got it wrong again.
Based on that forecast, the Superior Country Club posted an early closure notice for 4 p.m. Saturday.
Rita had planned to go to Osborne Saturday to visit her mother but delayed the trip until Sunday when the forecast was for better traveling conditions.
We had dark clouds Saturday and there was flash flooding reported in the Randall area, but Superior remained dry.
Had there been sufficient water in the Republican River to float a canoe there would have been plenty of time to ride the current from Bostwick to Hardy in a canoe. That hasn’t always been the case. I’ve been caught riding in a canoe down the Republican River more than once. I was once called to look for runaway canoes and camping gear. Loren Wilson was guiding an overnight trip below Harlan County Reservoir. The group had camped for the night when a rain came up and sent the campers scrambling for high ground. They made it out of the river but the water swept their canoes and camping gear away. Eventually all the canoes were recovered but some of the gear was never seen again. A high school classmate of mine was praised for helping saving lives that night.
I remember a time about 40 years ago when I was in the canoe rental business. There was plenty of water in the river and I was asked to guide a group of inexperienced canoers from Bostwick to Hardy. Our plan was to start in the morning, stop just below the Highway 14 bridge and come into Superior for lunch and then resume the trip to Hardy.
I was pleased to awaken to a cloudy day. The weather forecast may have included the possibility of summer which I thought might add to the trip experience. I expected only a sprinkle at most and the clouds would reduce the likelihood of sunburn. We departed on time but soon encountered rain. We were soaked and cold by the time we reached our planned Highway 14 landing place. We thought we would eat lunch and continue on to Hardy. However, as we were getting out at the mouth of Lost Creek, one member of the canoeing party slipped on the wet grass, slid down the bank and went into the creek. Since we were already soaked by the rain that wouldn’t have been so bad had the creek water been as clear as the river water. It wasn’t.
The creek water was covered by a white, oily scum. The Mid-America cheese plant had a permit to dump waste water into Lost Creek and that waste carried diluted milk products. It looked and smelled nasty.
Not wanting to be seen, we ordered lunch at the Kurly Kone, ate in The Express pressroom and considered our trip to be finished.
One night this week, a continuous string of broadcast weather alerts repeatedly awoke me. Out of all of that, we got only 0.21 of an inch of much needed rain. The next day, I wanted to retreat to a dark corner in the newspaper plant to catch up on the missed sleep.
Though I found my bicycle had overturned, I realize the wind had blown until I went home for lunch and saw a tree limb down in the neighbor’s yard.
Sunday night Smith County residents reported thunder and lightning and I made sure to unplug sensitive electronic devices at home and at the newspaper. That storm was all bluff over this way and didn’t deliver any rain. I didn’t hear any thunder nor see the lightning. Thankfully, none of the sensitive electronic equipment was damaged.
Apparently sleep and location influence my reaction to our nighttime storms.
I was asleep the time a tornado demolished the cement block building which had housed the Tenth Street Superette and took a down a lot of Superior trees including many in City Park. That day I was awakened by a Hebron resident calling to see if his mother was okay. I asked why he called me and was told because she wasn’t answering her telephone and an Omaha radio station was reporting a tornado at Superior.
After the call, I looked out and saw emergency people working to clear the street a couple blocks east of my house.
After thinking the weather service was falsely crying wolf about the storms, I asked a newcomer to Superior what she thought. It was Karyn’s first storm since moving here from Arizona.
She said the rolling thunder reminded her of a drummer. She compared the white light streaming in her windows from the lightning to a prowler peering in with a high intensity light. She observed the cloud formation and asked a friend if the clouds were signaling the approach of a tornado. She was alarmed by the wind rattling the windows of her home and the sound of the rustling trees and bushes in her yard.
As the storm rolled in the story of Jesus and disciples caught in a storm while crossing a lake comforted her.
She said observing her first storm on the Plains was interesting but startling. She suggested the welcome packets given to newcomers should contain information explaining what storms on the Plains were like. She said that information should include an explanation of the civil defense sirens and the testing schedule along with giving tips on proper ways to shelter.
When the July 1 siren test was conducted on a day with a 90 percent chance for rain. She first thought the siren was a signal to take cover.
Sunday the weather service forecast said the weather would likely be dry. The full moon would have made for a beautiful night camping and fishing along the Republican River. As a youngster, I enjoyed going with my father and his friends on overnight fishing trips. Limb lines were set around river holes and baited with things like crawdads, worms and mud puppies. During the night, we would slip into our still wet but ice cold jeans and tennis shoes, leave the comfort of our tents, to battle the mosquitoes and go wading in the cold river water hoping to find a big catfish had been hooked on one of our lines.
Nights brightened by the full moon were preferred times for those river excursions. It can be mighty dark on the river on a moonless night.
This year, all of the weather warnings made it hard to know when to schedule a time for shooting fireworks.
With a 90 percent chance of rain on Saturday, I thought all of the fireworks shows planned for that evening would be wash outs. That didn’t turn out to be. Saturday was a good day for Independence celebrations in many area communities. When I arrived at work Monday morning, there was a bulletin from the National Weather Service office in Hastings warning a cold front, expected to pass through this area Tuesday afternoon, would likely trigger rain (thankfully no tornadoes) which would interfere with Independence Day fireworks plans.
If the Superior show has to be rescheduled, we will share that information on our internet news channels. And we will not complain for more rain will be more than welcome. I’m hopeful the weather service is wrong about the predicted high winds and hail. Those we don’t need and won’t enjoy.
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