Nebraska, 1997

Cold in Nebraska, January 16, 1997

January 16, 1997 · NWS OAX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Strong northwest winds combined with cold temperatures to generate wind chills of 40 to 55 below zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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.

Strong northwest winds combined with cold temperatures to generate wind chills of 40 to 55 below zero.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Cold/Wind Chill, Seward

When
January 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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 16, 3:00 AM CST to 9:00 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

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, January 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: 5587568, 5587569, 5587570, 5587571, 5587572, 5587573, 5587574, 5587575, 5587576, 5587577, 5587578.