Blizzard in Nebraska, January 4, 1997

Name: Blizzard in Nebraska, January 4, 1997
Start: 1997-01-04T13:00
End: 1997-01-04T21:30
Location: Nebraska

January 4, 1997 · NWS LBF · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

45-55 mph winds created blizzard conditions across northcentral Nebraska. Blowing and drifting snow caused icy roads and visibilities near zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

45-55 mph winds created blizzard conditions across northcentral Nebraska. Blowing and drifting snow caused icy roads and visibilities near zero. A storm-related fatality occurred when an 18 year-old male was struck and killed by a passing vehicle.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Keya Paha

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Keya Paha forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Boyd

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brown

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Rock

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.421, -99.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Holt

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Holt forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Blaine

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.913, -99.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Loup

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Loup forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.914, -99.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Garfield

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.914, -98.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wheeler

When: January 4, 1:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Wheeler forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.915, -98.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Blizzard, Boyd	1997-01-04	18	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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

Every storm in Nebraska in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5586467, 5586468, 5586469, 5586470, 5586471, 5586472, 5586473, 5586474, 5586475.