Severe Weather in the Central Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Tennessee Valley; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Scattered severe storms capable of large to very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes will be possible across the central Plains this evening. Heavy to excessive rainfall may bring a flooding threat from the Great Lakes to the Mid-South through tonight. Hot, dry and windy conditions will continue to bring a critical fire weather threat from the Southwest into the Great Basin. Read More >

Regarding the two pictures taken at Lee Bird Field, they were taken within a day or two of the worst blizzard to hit that area in quite awhile. The time frame of this blizzard would have been November or early December 1949. My father (Frank T. Henley) is on the left and the gentleman on the right is Wendell Hammond who also was a weather bureau employee. My father moved the operation from 214 West 5th to the airport in Oct/Nov., 1949. In the other photo, the vehicle shown belonged to the Nebraska National Guard and was assigned to taking my father and Mr. Hammond to the weather station because the depth of snow and accompanying snow drifts prevented driving U.S. Highway 30 (Lincoln Highway) east 3 miles to the airport. The track vehicle was called a "weasel".

My father came to North Platte as chief meteorologist of the weather bureau station which was located at 214 West 5th St. This house also served as the living quarters for the chief meteorologist. The front door on the right took you into the weather station and the front door on the left was the front entrance to the private living quarters. The left half of the first floor and the entire second floor was private living space. A single car garage as well as rain, temperature and barometric pressure gauges were located in the backyard. The house has a full attic to include an access hatch to the roof where the wind instrumentation was located. The house was sold by the government to my mother in 1950. A stately old home, it still stands today but without the front porch and lawn. Once a residential neighborhood it is now incorporated within the city business district.

Henry J. Henley

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Severe Weather in the Central Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Tennessee Valley; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Details of 1949 Pictures of Lee Bird Field and North Platte from Henry J. Henley