Flood, Keya Paha
- When
- February 19, 1:00 PM CST to February 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Keya Paha forecast zone
- Property damage
- $750,000
- Coordinates
- 42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Nebraska, February 19 to 22, 1997
Several days of temperatures above freezing caused snow to melt and ice to break up on Ponca Creek and Keya Paha River in northcentral Nebraska. The extra runoff from snowmelt combined with ice jams along the waterways caused flooding from Bristow east to the Boyd County line.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $750,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Several days of temperatures above freezing caused snow to melt and ice to break up on Ponca Creek and Keya Paha River in northcentral Nebraska. The extra runoff from snowmelt combined with ice jams along the waterways caused flooding from Bristow east to the Boyd County line. In Keya Paha County flooding occurred near the community of Burton. Numerous homes and businesses incurred damage. County roads and bridges also sustained damage with Keya Paha County reporting $286,701 damage to its roads and bridges. Also, considerable soil erosion occurred to agricultural land.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Boyd
- When
- February 19, 1:00 PM CST to February 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Boyd forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Texas, February 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, February 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Texas, February 19 to 21, 1997
- Winter Storm in Utah, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Heat in New Jersey, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Maryland, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Delaware, February 19 to 22, 1997
- High Wind in Massachusetts, February 19 to 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, February 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: 5588531, 5588532.