Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 8 to 9, 2001

A winter storm gave southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa a one-two punch of freezing rain then heavy snow Thursday 2/8/01 into Friday afternoon 2/9/01. Even before the freezing rain began, much of the area recorded freezing drizzle Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning. The freezing drizzle abated Thursday morning, but many roads and sidewalks were coated with a thin glaze. Early Thursday afternoon a more significant glazing occurred when freezing rain moved northeast across the area. The freezing rain mixed with then changed to sleet across the northern sections of the region by mid to late afternoon and then eventually to snow that evening. Extreme southeast Nebraska reported a longer period of freezing rain with thicker icing reported. There were reports of a substantial glaze in extreme southeast Nebraska with some power lines and tree limbs downed before the freezing rain mixed with then changed to sleet and then snow. Power was knocked out for up to 5 hours at numerous locations in southeast Nebraska and it was common throughout the entire area to see cars and trucks in ditches.The first area of snow moved east of southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa early Friday morning. However, another round of snow clipped southeast Nebraska and extreme southwest Iowa late Friday morning into Friday afternoon as the upper low moved across the area. This second round of snow brought several more inches to locations around and to the south through southeast of Lincoln. The entire area experienced gusty north winds Friday which lowered wind chills to 20 to 35 below zero and caused substantial blowing and drifting snow. The freezing drizzle Wednesday into Thursday morning, and the forecast for more wintery precipitation Thursday caused a lot of schools to close Thursday. The heavy snow, blowing and drifting snow, and the glaze of ice underneath prompted most schools and many other events to be canceled Friday.Heavier snow amounts for the storm included...12 inches at Fairbury, Syracuse and Roca, 11 inches at Tecumseh, 10 inches at Lincoln, Union, Table Rock, Pawnee City and Hickman, Nebraska along with Glenwood, Iowa, 8 to 9 inches in Wilber, Plattsmouth, Tecumseh, Wymore, and Weeping Water, and 6 to 7 inches at Falls City, Ulysses, Rulo, Gretna, Bellevue, Springfield, Boystown, Brownville, and Papillion, Nebraska and Sidney, Clarinda, Randolph and Oakland, Iowa. The remainder of locations in the above mentioned counties received at least 4 to 5 inches of snow, again on top of a glaze of ice and accompanied by gusty north winds.