Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 23 to 25, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 23 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-23T15:45
End: 2001-02-25T16:14
Location: Nebraska

February 23 to 25, 2001 · NWS LBF · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A nearly stationary front extended from a surface low over central Colorado, across northern Kansas. This front separated cold surface high pressure to the north from warm moist air to the south.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: 10

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.

A nearly stationary front extended from a surface low over central Colorado, across northern Kansas. This front separated cold surface high pressure to the north from warm moist air to the south. The surface low tracked along this front to the east. A potent upper level low pressure system tracked from northwest Kansas to northeast Nebraska beginning 23 February 2001 to 24 February 2001. This upper level system pulled abundant moisture north of the front...at first resulting in a day of freezing drizzle across much of southern Nebraska beginning during the early morning hours of 23 February 2001, continuing into the evening. The freezing drizzle did cause some power lines to fail in isolated areas. As the main upper level low entered the central plains 24 February 2001, freezing drizzle changed over to snow by midday. Heavy snow fell over much of west central and north central portions of Nebraska during the afternoon of 24 February 2001. Average snowfall amounts were from 6 to 8 inches. The heaviest snowfall occurred in east central Cherry county, where a foot of new snow (12 inches) was reported. After most of the the heavy snow had fallen, strong north winds created some blowing and drifting of snow in west central Nebraska during the evening hours of 24 February 2001, causing further significant travel difficulty.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 23, 2:27 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 23, 2:27 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
227 PM CST FRI FEB 23 2001

WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS LARGE UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHERN CA WITH
GOOD TROPICAL PLUME INTO THE PLAINS.  UPPER AIR ANALYSIS FROM 12Z
SHOWS ABUNDANT MOISTURE AT H8 ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS.  THE
SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE PUSHING THE MOISTURE NORTHWARD INTO
SOUTHERN NE TONIGHT.  MODELS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR EARLY ON WITH THE
SFC LOW PUSHING OUT INTO WESTERN KS 12Z SAT AND THEN ALONG THE KS/NE
BORDER AT 00Z SUN.  ALTHOUGH THE AVN HAS BEEN A LITTLE MORE
CONSISTENT OVER THE PAST FEW RUNS...HAVE CHOSEN TO GO WITH THE ETA
AS IT SEEMS TO BE VERIFYING WELL AT 18Z.

TONIGHT...THE SFC LOW DEEPENS OVER SOUTHEAST CO.  SOUTHEAST WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO PUMP WARM MOIST AIR INTO THE CWA KEEPING FREEZING
DRIZZLE GOING OVER THE SOUTH AND EAST SECTIONS OF THE AREA UNTIL
LATE TONIGHT.  COLDER H8 AIR WILL FILTER INTO THE NORTHWEST SECTIONS
OF THE CWA TONIGHT WHICH SHOULD TURN THE -FZDZ TO -SN.  H7
FRONTOGENESIS DEVELOPS BY 09Z ACROSS THE WEST.  THE SNOW SHOULD
REALLY START IN AT THIS TIME AND POSSIBLY BE HEAVY AT TIMES ALREADY
BY 12Z.  THEREFORE WILL GO WITH A WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND
SATURDAY FOR THE EASTERN PANHANDLE COUNTIES...OVER TO CHERRY...DOWN
TO THOMAS...DOWN TO ARTHUR...AND THEN OVER TO DEUEL COUNTY. WITH
UPSLOPE FLOW...GOOD WARM AIR ADVECTION...AND H7 FRONTOGENESIS...
EXPECT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES FOR THE WARNING AREA.
BY AFTERNOON THE MAIN AREA OF FRONTOGENESIS AND WAA SLIDE OFF TO THE
EAST BUT A DEFORMATION ZONE WILL KEEP SNOW GOING THROUGH THE REST
OF THE AFTERNOON.

A BAND OF FRONTOGENESIS SETS UP ACROSS THE SOUTH SAT MORNING AND
LIFTS NORTHEAST INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS.  THUS EXPECT SNOW TO BEGIN
IN THE MORNING AND THEN BE A BREAK BEFORE STARTING IN AGAIN IN THE
AFTERNOON AS THE STRONG BAND OF FRONTOGENESIS STARTS IN BY 21Z.
EXPECT SNOW TO INCREASE RAPIDLY WITH THIS BAND SO WILL GO WITH 3 TO
5 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE SOUTH.  THERE MAY STILL BE SOME
LINGERING -FZDZ TOMORROW MORNING IN THE NORTHEAST BUT SHOULD CHANGE
TO -SN IN THE MORNING.  EXPECT THE LOWEST AMOUNTS OF SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS TO BE IN THE NORTHEAST AS THE AREA OF BEST LIFT WAITS
UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON TO PUSH INTO THE AREA.  THE BEST SNOW FOR THIS
AREA WILL BE SAT EVENING.  THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS
SIGNIFICANTLY TOMORROW AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS TO THE SOUTH. THEREFORE
EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND LOW
VISIBILITIES.  THUS WILL KEEP THE WINTER STORM WATCH GOING FOR SAT
FOR THE SOUTH AND THROUGH SAT NIGHT FOR THE NORTHEAST.

DO NOT EXPECT TEMPS TO CHANGE MUCH OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS BUT WILL
FINALLY FALL OFF SAT NIGHT.   PLAN TO STAY NEAR GUIDANCE NUMBERS.

IN THE EXTENDED...ANOTHER UPPER LOW DIGS INTO SOUTHERN CA MON WITH A
SFC LOW DEVELOPING ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ROCKIES.  WITH THE
GULF WIDE OPEN...SHOULD HAVE GOOD TRANSPORT OF MOISTURE INTO THE
SYSTEM PRODUCING A SIMILAR EVENT TO TONIGHT.  PRECIPITATION COULD
START OUT AS FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT RAIN BEFORE SWITCHING OVER
TO SNOW ON TUE.  THE FLOW BECOMES ZONAL BY THU NIGHT AND FRI WHICH
SHOULD HAVE A GOOD WARMING TREND FOR TEMPS...AS H8 TEMPS CLIMB TO
+6C ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA FRI AFTERNOON.

.LBF...WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY
           004-005-022>025-035-056
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT 006>010-O026>029-036>038-
           057>059-069>071
       WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY 036>038-057>059-069>071
       WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT
           006>010-026>029
DDB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Sheridan

When: February 23, 3:45 PM CST to February 25, 4:14 PM CST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cherry

When: February 23, 3:45 PM CST to February 24, 4:14 PM CST
Where: Cherry forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Garden

When: February 23, 3:45 PM CST to February 24, 4:14 PM CST
Where: Garden forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 41.619, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Thomas

When: February 23, 3:45 PM CST to February 24, 4:14 PM CST
Where: Thomas forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 41.914, -100.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Keya Paha

When: February 24, 4:25 AM CST to February 25, 9:11 AM CST
Where: Keya Paha forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Boyd

When: February 24, 4:25 AM CST to February 25, 9:11 AM CST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brown

When: February 24, 4:25 AM CST to February 25, 9:11 AM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rock

When: February 24, 4:25 AM CST to February 25, 9:11 AM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.421, -99.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Blaine

When: February 24, 4:25 AM CST to February 25, 9:11 AM CST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 41.913, -99.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Garfield

When: February 24, 4:25 AM CST to February 25, 9:11 AM CST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 41.914, -98.991 (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

Every storm in Nebraska in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, February 2001

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: 5229253, 5229254, 5229255, 5229256, 5229257, 5229258, 5229259, 5229260, 5229261, 5229262.