Cold in Nebraska, January 17 to 19, 1996

Name: Cold in Nebraska, January 17 to 19, 1996
Start: 1996-01-17T19:00
End: 1996-01-19T02:00
Location: Nebraska

January 17 to 19, 1996 · NWS OAX · 30 events in 30 counties and zones

A blast of Arctic air invaded eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of the 17th. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around freezing.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 30 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 30

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 OAX wrote it up.

A blast of Arctic air invaded eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of the 17th. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around freezing. By late afternoon, a large temperature gradient had been established as Norfolk had switched over to freezing drizzle and Falls City was in the 60's. A strong cold front moved through the area plummeting temperatures and was accompanied by sustained winds from 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph. While light rain preceded the frontal passage, only a dusting to 1 inch of snow fell behind the cold front. Extreme wind chills from -40 to -60 degrees persisted for 31 hours.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

30 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Knox

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.637, -97.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cedar

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Cedar forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.599, -97.252 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Thurston

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Thurston forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.158, -96.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Antelope

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Antelope forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.177, -98.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Pierce

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Pierce forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.264, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Wayne

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.209, -97.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Boone

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.707, -98.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Madison

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.917, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Stanton

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Stanton forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.917, -97.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cuming

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Cuming forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.916, -96.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Burt

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Burt forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.852, -96.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Platte

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Platte forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.571, -97.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Colfax

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Colfax forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.574, -97.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Dodge

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.578, -96.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Washington

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.531, -96.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Butler

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.226, -97.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Saunders

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Saunders forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.226, -96.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Douglas

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.295, -96.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sarpy

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Sarpy forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.113, -96.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Seward

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Seward forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.872, -97.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lancaster

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Lancaster forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.784, -96.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cass

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.910, -96.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Otoe

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Otoe forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.649, -96.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Saline

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.524, -97.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.176, -97.143 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Gage

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Gage forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.262, -96.689 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Johnson

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.393, -96.265 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Nemaha

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Nemaha forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.388, -95.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Pawnee

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Pawnee forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.132, -96.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Richardson

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Richardson forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.125, -95.717 (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

Every storm in Nebraska in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5535711, 5535712, 5535713, 5535714, 5535715, 5535716, 5535717, 5535718, 5535719, 5535720, 5535721, 5535722, 5535723, 5535724, 5535725, 5535726, 5535727, 5535728, 5535729, 5535730, 5535731, 5535732, 5535733, 5535734, 5535735, 5535736, 5535737, 5535738, 5535739, 5535740.