Nebraska, 2000

Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 17 to 18, 2000

February 17 to 18, 2000 · NWS OAX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

sleet and snow moved into eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa early Thursday evening, changed over to mostly snow by late Thursday evening, then continued into late Friday morning. thunder was even reported from around Lincoln to Omaha and points south.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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.

A mix of rain...sleet and snow moved into eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa early Thursday evening, changed over to mostly snow by late Thursday evening, then continued into late Friday morning. The mix of snow and sleet came down heavy for a while Thursday evening...thunder was even reported from around Lincoln to Omaha and points south. However, intensities decreased a little late Thursday evening as the precipitation changed over to all snow. The snow Intensity increased again around 500 am cst Friday morning. This made for a difficult commute during the morning rush hour from Lincoln to Omaha as heavy snow and northeast winds gusting over 20 mph created blowing and drifting snow and poor visibilities. Heavier snow totals included...8 inches in Ulysses, 7 inches at Gretna, Lincoln, Papillion, Schuyler and Surprise, between 6 and 7 inches across much of Omaha, and 6 inches at Weeping Water, Columbus, Wahoo, Ithaca, Fremont, Blair, Seward, Roca, Scribner and Elkhorn.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Burt

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Burt forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.852, -96.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Butler

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Butler forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.226, -97.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cass

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Cass forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
40.910, -96.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Colfax

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Colfax forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.574, -97.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dodge

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Dodge forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.578, -96.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Douglas

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.295, -96.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lancaster

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Lancaster forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
40.784, -96.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Platte

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Platte forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.571, -97.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sarpy

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Sarpy forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.113, -96.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Saunders

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Saunders forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.226, -96.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Seward

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Seward forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
40.872, -97.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When
February 17, 7:00 PM CST to February 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.531, -96.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, February 2000

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: 5134960, 5134961, 5134962, 5134963, 5134964, 5134965, 5134966, 5134967, 5134968, 5134969, 5134970, 5134971.