No Tornadoes in Nebraska-Kansas, first time since 1950

[Regis Philbin]

http://www.local6.com/weather/9468760/detail.html

No Tornadoes Confirmed In Nebraska-Kansas Area This Year

First Time Since 1950 There's Been No Tornadoes In Region

POSTED: 7:37 am EDT July 5, 2006
UPDATED: 7:45 am EDT July 5, 2006

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Hastings are feeling lucky this year.

The 30-county area they serve in central Nebraska and north-central Kansas hasn't had a confirmed tornado for the first six months of this year. That hasn't happened since 1950.

There were two years that came close, 1966 and 1981, when a single tornado was reported during the first half of each year.

"It's quite unusual," said Steve Kisner, warning coordination meteorologist in the Hastings office. "We're glad Mother Nature is keeping everybody safe -- again showing the unpredictability of the weather."

Between five and 10 tornadoes usually hit the office's coverage area between Jan. 1 and June 30, Kisner said.

The weather service has calculated there's a 3-1 chance a tornado will occur in Nebraska during this period.

Tornadoes are especially common in the 30-county area because they are in the northern part of Tornado Alley, a tornado-prone region stretching from West Texas to North Dakota.