Blizzard, Dundy
- When
- October 25, 3:00 AM CST to October 26, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dundy forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -101.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Nebraska, October 25 to 26, 1997
Snowfall up to 1 foot combined with north winds 50 to 60 mph created widespread blizzard conditions with near zero visibility and wind chills to 20 degrees below zero. Specific snowfall amounts were Haigler 12 inches, Benkelman 12, Stratton 7, Trenton 6, Palisade 6, Culbertson 8, McCook 10, Red Willow Dam 4.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 GLD wrote it up.
Snowfall up to 1 foot combined with north winds 50 to 60 mph created widespread blizzard conditions with near zero visibility and wind chills to 20 degrees below zero. Specific snowfall amounts were Haigler 12 inches, Benkelman 12, Stratton 7, Trenton 6, Palisade 6, Culbertson 8, McCook 10, Red Willow Dam 4. All activities were postponed or cancelled. Roads became impassable and were closed. Many schools were closed for 1 to 2 days afterwards.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Hitchcock
- When
- October 25, 3:00 AM CST to October 26, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hitchcock forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -101.042 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Red Willow
- When
- October 25, 3:00 AM CST to October 26, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Red Willow forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.176, -100.477 (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
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Oklahoma, October 25, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Nebraska, October 25 to 26, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, October 25 to 26, 1997
- Blizzard in Colorado, October 25 to 26, 1997
- Blizzard in Kansas, October 25 to 26, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, October 25 to 26, 1997
- Winter Storm in Kansas, October 25 to 26, 1997
- Tornado in Mississippi, October 25, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, October 25, 1997
- Tornadoes in Alabama, October 25, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, October 25, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, October 25, 1997
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, October 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: 5622199, 5622200, 5622298.