Ice Storm, Thayer
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Thayer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -97.595 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Nebraska, December 7 to 9, 1997
Travel became treacherous across south central Nebraska as freezing drizzle coated area roads with a thin layer of ice. The freezing drizzle began the afternoon of the 7th, then gave way to light snow by the 9th.
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
- $100,000
- 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.
Travel became treacherous across south central Nebraska as freezing drizzle coated area roads with a thin layer of ice. The freezing drizzle began the afternoon of the 7th, then gave way to light snow by the 9th. Though amouts were light, the snow and ice likely played a role in several accidents in the region. Many drivers lost control of their vehicles on the icy roads.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
24 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Valley
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Valley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.567, -98.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Webster
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -98.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, York
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- York forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.873, -97.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Adams
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Adams forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.525, -98.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Buffalo
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buffalo forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.855, -99.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Clay
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.524, -98.051 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Dawson
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dawson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.870, -99.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Fillmore
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fillmore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.525, -97.596 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Franklin
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -98.953 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Furnas
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.177, -99.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Gosper
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gosper forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.515, -99.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Greeley
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Greeley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.567, -98.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Hall
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hall forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 40.873, -98.502 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Hamilton
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.874, -98.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Harlan
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Harlan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.177, -99.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Howard
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Howard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Kearney
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kearney forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.507, -98.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Merrick
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Merrick forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.170, -98.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Nance
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nance forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.397, -97.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Nuckolls
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nuckolls forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -98.047 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Phelps
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Phelps forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.511, -99.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Polk
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.187, -97.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Sherman
- When
- December 7, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sherman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.221, -98.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Winter Storm and Flooding in California, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Winter Storm in California, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in California, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Winter Storm in Oregon, December 7 to 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 7, 1997
- Dense Fog in Nevada, December 7, 1997
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, December 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: 5625133, 5625134, 5625135, 5625136, 5626089, 5626090, 5626091, 5626092, 5626093, 5626094, 5626095, 5626096, 5626097, 5626098, 5626099, 5626100, 5626101, 5626102, 5626103, 5626104, 5626105, 5626106, 5626107, 5626108.