Nebraska, 1997

Blizzard in Nebraska, April 5 to 6, 1997

April 5 to 6, 1997 · NWS LBF · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

An intense low pressure moving slowly from southwest Nebraska toward northeast Nebraska dumped 10 inches of snow in the Nebraska Panhandle. A cold front with very strong northwest winds gusting to around 45 mph produced blizzard conditions across the panhandle.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 LBF wrote it up.

An intense low pressure moving slowly from southwest Nebraska toward northeast Nebraska dumped 10 inches of snow in the Nebraska Panhandle. A cold front with very strong northwest winds gusting to around 45 mph produced blizzard conditions across the panhandle. High winds broke down power lines so that some residents were without power for as long as 15 hours. A large 42,000 bushel grain bin was blown down in Hay Springs along with some new construction framing. I-80 was closed to traffic west of Big Springs Saturday afternoon and night.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Garden

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST to April 6, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Garden forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
41.619, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Arthur

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Arthur forecast zone
Coordinates
41.569, -101.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Boyd

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Boyd forecast zone
Coordinates
42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Chase

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Chase forecast zone
Coordinates
40.524, -101.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cherry

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Cherry forecast zone
Coordinates
42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Deuel

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Deuel forecast zone
Coordinates
41.112, -102.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Frontier

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Frontier forecast zone
Coordinates
40.530, -100.394 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Coordinates
41.915, -101.740 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hayes

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Hayes forecast zone
Coordinates
40.525, -101.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Keya Paha

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Keya Paha forecast zone
Coordinates
42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Perkins

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Perkins forecast zone
Coordinates
40.851, -101.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sheridan

When
April 5, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Sheridan forecast zone
Coordinates
42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, April 1997

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: 5597103, 5597104, 5597105, 5597106, 5597107, 5597108, 5597109, 5597110, 5597111, 5597112, 5597113, 5597114.