For the last couple weeks, Omaha has seen extreme winter weather for the first time this season.  

This week, the city experienced severely cold temperatures. An Extreme Cold Warning was in place for Tuesday from 6 p.m. until noon on Wednesday, then from 9 p.m. on Wednesday until 9 a.m. on Thursday. 

“An Extreme Cold Warning is issued when dangerously cold air temperatures or wind chill values are expected or occurring. If you are in an area with an Extreme Cold Warning, avoid going outside,” the National Weather Service’s website says. 

The Extreme Cold Warning stated that wind chills were expected to reach as low as 35 degrees below zero.  

In addition to the cold, Omaha has seen a total of over eight inches of snow this month.  

The snow on Feb. 12, which amounted to 3.2 inches (measured at the Eppley Airfield) according to the National Weather Service, was the first snowfall this winter. On average, Omaha sees its first snowfall of over one inch on November 30, making this season abnormal, according to KMTV-TV. 

“There’s not a really good reason [we didn’t get snow until this late],” Katie Gross, a meteorologist with the Omaha/Valley, NE office of the National Weather Service, said. “We were just kind of stuck in this really dry pattern for a while, and then eventually that pattern broke through, and we had several waves move through the last week or so here that brought several rounds of snow to the area.” 

For some students, the snow was an entirely new experience. 

“I touched snow for the first time last week,” a College of Nursing freshman from California, Alexandria Lim, said. 

Another student from California, College of Arts and Sciences junior Audrey Pon, is also relatively new to this winter weather. 

“[The snow is] cool to look at but not cool to be in… I tried driving in the snow,” Pon said. “I made it 30 minutes and it was good; I was being really careful, [and] then I slid into a rock… [My family] was laughing at me.” 

Creighton University closed campus last week on Wednesday, Feb. 12 due to snow, but stayed open for most of this week, despite additional snow and severely cold temperatures. Yesterday, Thursday, Feb. 20, campus was closed until 11 a.m. due to the cold weather. 

The critical issues response team advises university leadership on whether or not to close. 

“Individuals from multiple campus units representing students, faculty and staff are involved in recommending any closures or delays,” a statement from the university, which was sent to the Creightonian via email by Casey Hoag, Creighton’s senior director of external communications, said. “This involves evaluating all available information to minimize disruption to essential campus operations, including healthcare services provided to the community, and ensure safe travel and access to facilities.” 

The statement also said, “To remain good stewards of our mission, every effort is made during the winter months to have our university remain open and hold classes. The safety of our students, faculty, staff and guests is always a priority and Creighton closely monitors all severe weather that may impact our campuses.” 

Additionally, Hoag emphasized the university’s commitment to keeping the Creighton community safe and said that anyone in need of assistance is encouraged to contact the Department of Public Safety.  

“I just think that it’s incredibly unsafe [that campus wasn’t closed due to the cold],” Ren Roecker, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. 

Students, staff and faculty had to take steps to ensure safety during extreme temperatures. On Monday night, the university sent a school-wide email out telling people to be careful and including tips for taking care of homes and dressing properly for the weather. 

“I have [on] my big winter coat [and] as thick of pants as I own, and [I’m] just trying to stay inside as much as possible,” Nick Nondorf, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. 

Other college campuses, including the University of Nebraska-Omaha, were also open during the extreme temperatures. 

Gross added that, as of Tuesday, it looked like a little bit of snow overnight would be the last bit of snow for at least the foreseeable forecast.  

Omaha is also forecasted to have warmer temperatures next week.  

According to the National Weather Service’s 7-day forecast as of Wednesday, high temperatures are supposed to reach the low 50s on Monday and Tuesday.  

“Right now, even the eight-to-14-day outlooks are still well above normal… So, at least for the foreseeable future for the next few weeks, it looks like we should be at least near or above normal,” Gross said. 

The dramatic change in temperature is due to how the weather patterns have developed across the region.  

“We had this big trough that brought some colder air in, and then we’re going to see more of a ridge across the area that pushes that warmer air from…the southwestern U.S. over towards the central part of the country,” Gross said.