Weather and thunder in Nebraska (Omaha, Lincoln: apartment, rent, day cares)

[Keilanee]

Hi everyone, please inform me about weather in Nebraska. I am from Indonesia and wish to continue my master degree in the US. I did a little browsing about UNL and interested to attend to its graduate program next year. But then I jumped into a blog which mentioned about unpredictable weather in Lincoln Nebraska. She said there is a lot of thunders too. Furthermore, she also wrote that it is very difficult to get part time job, while I absolutely need some.
My major is Early Childhood Education. Can anyone tell me about day cares and preschool in Lincoln Nebraska? Are there plenty of them so I can easily take an internship to one of them? What about the quality of those Early Childhood Education programs?
Thank you very much...

[Garthur]

I only know about the weather. First thing, do not get worried about the weather. Every one here is used to it and the weather forecasts have gotten better.

Yes we have severe weather on occasion. Hail, tornados, high winds are not uncommon. Thunder storms with dangerous lightening are also common. Just last week, just over the Missouri river in Iowa there was a tornado that tipped over an 18 wheeler.

In my opinion, the snow and ice in the winter is more of a hazard for people that have to drive on the roads.

Keep it in perspective, there are very few injuries from weather because the locals keep an eye on the weather and know when to take cover or change their schedule to decrease their exposer.

[Linda_d]

As someone from the East who spent two years at UNL many years ago, I can tell you that you have to take the weather warnings seriously there, especially the ones for tornadoes and blizzards.

For tornado safety, you need to always have a flashlight in working order plus a battery radio to get local weather reports. I would not rent a place that didn't have a basement or some kind of tornado shelter. Learn the rules for tornado safety, too, ie what to do and not do. The actual chances of any tornado hitting a particular spot anywhere is very small, but there are a lot of tornadoes on the Plains, especially in the spring, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

I never actually saw a funnel cloud when I lived in Lincoln, but a part of suburban Omaha, which is less than 60 miles away, had one plow down a busy commercial street flanked by residential neighborhoods, killing 3 or 4 people. Garthur is absolutely right that the locals know how to deal with the weather; a tornado like that through a similar suburban Buffalo, NY, area would probably kill 10 or 20 times that number of people. Easterners are generally pretty clueless about how to stay safe in tornadoes.

As for blizzard warnings, Midwestern blizzards are serious business. They aren't just big snowstorms, which we also get here in the Northeast, but they also have high winds that reduce visibility to nothing and dropping temperatures. They can be deadly. In rural areas, the winds create snow drifts that block roads, but in city and suburban areas, poor visibility and slippery conditions will cause accidents that stop traffic on limited access highways, causing large traffic jams. The best way to deal with a blizzard is to get to a safe place and stay there. Do NOT decide to drive to the mall because classes have been canceled. Do NOT attempt to drive to Omaha to catch a flight out of town.

[Aredhel]

Originally Posted by Keilanee

Hi everyone, please inform me about weather in Nebraska. I am from Indonesia and wish to continue my master degree in the US. I did a little browsing about UNL and interested to attend to its graduate program next year. But then I jumped into a blog which mentioned about unpredictable weather in Lincoln Nebraska. She said there is a lot of thunders too. Furthermore, she also wrote that it is very difficult to get part time job, while I absolutely need some.

I can't give you any advice on the part-time job situation in Lincoln, but I'll second the other posters when it come to what they said about the weather. One thing to keep in mind is that MOST of the continental US (especially east of the Rocky Mountains) will have weather that is both more varied and more extreme than what you are used to dealing with in Indonesia. Nebraska's not uniquely bad. I wouldn't make the decision of whether or not to come based on the weather (especially since you'd only be staying a few years for graduate school); I'd let the other factors decide that. If you do decide to some, just pay attention to what the locals tell you to do to cope with the weather (Linda-d's comments were spot-on in that regard).

[Keilanee]

Thank you very much Aredhel. I do appreciate your informative comment. But I have to admit that I am a kind of person who is phobia to bad weather especially storm and thunder, and now....Tornadoes? Oh My..... I just saw them on TV and never really want to meet one in person. LOL
For sure I will consider all aspects before coming to my decision.
Again, Thank you

[Keilanee]

Originally Posted by Linda_d

As someone from the East who spent two years at UNL many years ago, I can tell you that you have to take the weather warnings seriously there, especially the ones for tornadoes and blizzards.

For tornado safety, you need to always have a flashlight in working order plus a battery radio to get local weather reports. I would not rent a place that didn't have a basement or some kind of tornado shelter. Learn the rules for tornado safety, too, ie what to do and not do. The actual chances of any tornado hitting a particular spot anywhere is very small, but there are a lot of tornadoes on the Plains, especially in the spring, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

I never actually saw a funnel cloud when I lived in Lincoln, but a part of suburban Omaha, which is less than 60 miles away, had one plow down a busy commercial street flanked by residential neighborhoods, killing 3 or 4 people. Garthur is absolutely right that the locals know how to deal with the weather; a tornado like that through a similar suburban Buffalo, NY, area would probably kill 10 or 20 times that number of people. Easterners are generally pretty clueless about how to stay safe in tornadoes.

As for blizzard warnings, Midwestern blizzards are serious business. They aren't just big snowstorms, which we also get here in the Northeast, but they also have high winds that reduce visibility to nothing and dropping temperatures. They can be deadly. In rural areas, the winds create snow drifts that block roads, but in city and suburban areas, poor visibility and slippery conditions will cause accidents that stop traffic on limited access highways, causing large traffic jams. The best way to deal with a blizzard is to get to a safe place and stay there. Do NOT decide to drive to the mall because classes have been canceled. Do NOT attempt to drive to Omaha to catch a flight out of town.

Thanks Linda. I found your post is quite informative so I can get a description about living out there in Lincoln Nebraska.
But having an idea that I have to stay in a dark basement has made me even scarier :P
Actually I am also considering Ohio, Missouri and Pittsburgh as my destination to spend my 2 year graduate school. I will absolutely review all those options and I believe that the comments I gain from here will come in handy. Thanks all

[Aredhel]

For what it's worth, OP, Missouri is as prone to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes as Nebraska is. They are fairly common in Ohio as well. If you really want to avoid severe thunderstorms, Pittsburgh is the best choice on your list.

[Linda_d]

Originally Posted by Keilanee

Thanks Linda. I found your post is quite informative so I can get a description about living out there in Lincoln Nebraska.
But having an idea that I have to stay in a dark basement has made me even scarier :P
Actually I am also considering Ohio, Missouri and Pittsburgh as my destination to spend my 2 year graduate school. I will absolutely review all those options and I believe that the comments I gain from here will come in handy. Thanks all

You would only go down into the basement if there was a tornado warning for your immediate local area, and the forecasting of tornadoes and their potential paths is much better today than it was 40 years ago! I never actually had to huddle in the basement with my neighbors (I lived in an apartment building) in
fear of a tornado when I lived there, but it's important to have some kind of tornado-proof shelter available and to know that that's where you should be not trying to film the funnel cloud coming toward you on your cell phone.

BTW, both Ohio and Missouri are prone to tornadoes, too, as are most of the states in the Southeast although they are not so famous for them. I think one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in history occurred in/around Xenia, Ohio, back in the 1970s or 1980s.

Good luck in your hunt for a grad school. I wouldn't worry too much about the weather. Anywhere in the continental US is going to be a lot different than in Indonesia, so just treat it as an adventure that you can someday tell your grandkids about.

[Aredhel]

Originally Posted by Linda_d

BTW, both Ohio and Missouri are prone to tornadoes, too, as are most of the states in the Southeast although they are not so famous for them. I think one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in history occurred in/around Xenia, Ohio, back in the 1970s or 1980s.

Xenia was demolished by an F5 tornado during the 1974 Super Outbreak (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Super_Outbreak).

The OP might want to take a look at that map (specifically, how far east and north the tornadic weather was occurring).

OP, anywhere in the continental US east of the Rocky Mountains is at significant risk of tornadoes (although the biggest risk lies in the part of the country that's east of the Rockies and west of the Appalachians). You can't completely avoid them except by avoiding most of the continental US. Nonetheless, tornadoes are not common; even in the most heavily-hit states, most people live their entire lives without seeing one.

I wouldn't worry too much about the weather. Anywhere in the continental US is going to be a lot different than in Indonesia, so just treat it as an adventure that you can someday tell your grandkids about.

And this is so very true! Forget tornadoes for a moment, have you ever seen snow? Or an ice storm?

Go to the school that has the best program in your field of study, wherever that may be, and don't worry to much about the weather there. The locals manage it just fine, and you will, too.

[Nebraska mom]

Yes we got some fun and crazy weather in Nebraska. As long as you have a basement or access to a basement you will be fine. Especially if you were looking in the Lincoln area, I have never heard of a tornado going through that City and I have lived here most of my life. In Lincoln it will not be hard for you to find a part-time job especially with daycare. Enjoy the Move!