Chill on horizon as November ends

November in the Omaha area has been unseasonably mild. That’s expected to change with the calendar this week.

Temperatures today are predicted to be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than they were Saturday. Though mild weather still is expected Monday and Tuesday, the forecast for the rest of the week is for lows near 20 and highs near 40, more typical of fall in the Midlands, said Bob Smerbeck, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, The World-Herald’s private weather consultant.

And with the jet stream moving south later this week, freezing precipitation — rain, sleet or snow — is possible by next weekend, he said.

Saturday was sunny and mild, with a high of 58 in Omaha.

Like many in the area, Cheryl and Joe Hazel of Omaha took the opportunity to put up Christmas decorations.

Others were busy taking care of other outdoor chores, including clearing leaves from yards and gutters. Omaha’s waste hauler will perform its final week of yard waste collections for 2009 starting Monday.

At the Hazels’ white, 1920s-era home in Dundee early Saturday afternoon, boxes of supplies lined the sidewalk leading to the house. It’s the 11th year they’ve decorated their home and trees outside with garland, bows, wreaths, ornaments and hundreds of lights.

Joe Hazel likes to laugh about it, but the laugh is deceiving — they’re serious about the project. Beginning in late October or early November, they spend a portion of just about every weekend on it.

Three-foot-high Christmas trees rise up the side of the steps toward the house. Floodlights show off the decorations at night. The lights come on with a timer in the evening and shut off at bedtime. They come back on at 5:30 a.m. and shut off two hours later.

Cheryl Hazel said the beautiful weather Saturday made the job easier, but the finished product looks better in snow.

Contact the writer:

444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com

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