Cold/Wind Chill, Valley
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Valley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.567, -98.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Nebraska, December 16 to 19, 1996
Arctic air dropped south across South Central Nebraska aboard 30 mph north winds. Wind chill values plunged to between 30 and 50 below zero.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 24 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 24
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.
Arctic air dropped south across South Central Nebraska aboard 30 mph north winds. Wind chill values plunged to between 30 and 50 below zero. With such bitter cold wind chills, several schools were closed with many extracurricular activities cancelled or postponed.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
24 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Greeley
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Greeley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.567, -98.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Nance
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Nance forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.397, -97.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Sherman
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sherman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.221, -98.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Howard
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Howard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Merrick
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Merrick forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.170, -98.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Polk
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.187, -97.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Dawson
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dawson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.870, -99.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Buffalo
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Buffalo forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.855, -99.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hall
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.873, -98.502 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.874, -98.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, York
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- York forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.873, -97.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Gosper
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Gosper forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.515, -99.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Phelps
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Phelps forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.511, -99.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Kearney
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kearney forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.507, -98.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Adams
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Adams forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.525, -98.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Clay
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.524, -98.051 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Fillmore
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Fillmore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.525, -97.596 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Furnas
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Furnas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.177, -99.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Harlan
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Harlan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.177, -99.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -98.953 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Webster
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -98.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Nuckolls
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Nuckolls forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -98.047 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Thayer
- When
- December 16, 4:00 PM CST to December 19, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Thayer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -97.595 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Dense Fog in California, December 16, 1996
- High Wind in Utah, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Winter Storm in Indiana, December 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in Montana, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Illinois, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Cold in New Mexico, December 16 to 18, 1996
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5579441, 5579442, 5579443, 5579444, 5579445, 5579446, 5579447, 5579448, 5579449, 5579450, 5579451, 5579452, 5579453, 5579454, 5579455, 5579456, 5579457, 5579458, 5579459, 5579460, 5579461, 5579462, 5579463, 5579464.