Nebraska, 2001

Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 9, 2001

February 9, 2001 · NWS GID · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

The second major winter storm in as many weeks pounded south-central Nebraska. This time, the storm primarily impacted the area south of Interstate 80 with heavy snow, ice and wind.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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 GID wrote it up.

The second major winter storm in as many weeks pounded south-central Nebraska. This time, the storm primarily impacted the area south of Interstate 80 with heavy snow, ice and wind. The heaviest snow amounts were recorded southeast of Hastings from Red Cloud to Hebron. Eight to 11 inches of snow was common in that area. Snowfall of 4 to 8 inches stretched from York to Grand Island and then to parts of Furnas county.A period of drizzle and rain preceded the snow and made road conditions hazardous. Wind gusts to 40 mph belted the region through early afternoon. Travel was rendered impossible southeast of Hastings due to poor visibility and road conditions.

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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:10 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:10 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
310 AM CST FRI FEB 9 2001

...CONTINUATION/PLACEMENT OF HEADLINES MAIN CONCERN...

00Z UPPER AIR ANALYSIS SHOWED UPPER LOW OPENING UP OVER NEW MEXICO
WITH 200 TO 300 METER HEIGHT RISES AT 500/300 MBS RESPECTIVELY WEST
OF MAIN WAVE.  COUPLED JET STRUCTURE EAST SIDE OF TROUGH HAS AIDED
IN SNOW AMOUNTS.  WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS UPPER LOW MOVED TO
SOUTHEAST COLORADO.  DRY SLOT PUSHING EAST ACROSS CWFA BUT
DEFORMATION AREA FILLING IN BEHIND.

MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT LOW WILL MOVE EAST AND OPEN UP ACROSS
KANSAS THIS MORNING.  850 TO 700 MB FRONTOGENETIC FORCING PEAKED AT
06Z AND PUSHING OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST.  UPPER DIVERGENCE/DEFORMATION
AND DIFFERENTIAL POSITIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION PROGS ALL IN LINE
HITTING SOUTH AND EAST AREAS EARLY THIS MORNING THEN SHIFTING EAST
AFTER 18Z.  THIS COULD STILL RESULT IN ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW
FROM 10Z TO 16Z.  COUPLED WITH GUSTY WINDS WILL MAKE FOR REDUCED
VSBYS AND CONSIDERABLE DRIFTING.  ALSO WIND CHILLS BORDERLINE
ADVISORY CRITERIA.  WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR RADAR/METARS BUT AT
THIS TIME WILL LIKELY CONTINUE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SE CWFA THIS
MORNING UNTIL TRAVEL CONDITIONS/VSBYS IMPROVE AND SNOW/WIND
SUBSIDE.  WILL CUT BACK CENTRAL CWFA TO ADVISORY FOR SN/BLSN/CHILL
MENTION. WILL QUASH HEADLINES NW FOR NOW AS WINDS NOT QUITE STRONG
ENOUGH TO BRING CHILLS DOWN TO -35F.

TEMPS WILL GO NOWHERE TODAY.  WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO DROP OFF BY MID
AFTERNOON AND GO LIGHT THIS EVENING UNDER CLEARING SKIES.  TEMPS
SHOULD FALL QUICKLY OVER FRESH SNOW COVER...LIKE ONE WEEK AGO WHEN
READINGS DIPPED TO NEAR 15 BELOW.  SOME RECOVERY/MIXING IS POSSIBLE
WEST BY MORNING AS SURFACE HIGH SLIDES EAST AND LEE TROUGHING OCCURS
AHEAD OF NEXT SYSTEM.  NEXT SYSTEM...WHICH IS FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE OFF
THE PACIFIC NW COAST...DAMPENS/OPENS UP ACROSS ROCKIES IN A NEAR
ZONAL FLOW BY SUNDAY.  WILL KEEP THE CHANCE OF LIGHT PCPN IN
FORECAST THEN...BUT WILL TWEAK PRECIP TYPE BASED ON EXPECTED TEMPS.
LITTLE CHANGES TO REST OF EFP.

IN THE MEAN TIME...COLD TEMPERATURES IN CURRENT FORECAST FOR
SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT ARE BLO GUIDANCE AND LOOK ON TRACK DUE
TO SNOW COVER. ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS EXPECTED.

THANKS FOR COORDINATION OMA AND TOP.

.GID...WINTER STORM WARNING THIS MORNING.  NZ85>87-KS06-07-18-19.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS MORNING. KZ05-17-NZ49-61>64-73>77-82>85.

DROZD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Adams

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Adams forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.525, -98.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Buffalo

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Buffalo forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.855, -99.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clay

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.524, -98.051 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fillmore

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Fillmore forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.525, -97.596 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Franklin

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.176, -98.953 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Furnas

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Furnas forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.177, -99.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hall

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Hall forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.873, -98.502 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hamilton

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.874, -98.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Harlan

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Harlan forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.177, -99.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kearney

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Kearney forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.507, -98.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nuckolls

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Nuckolls forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.176, -98.047 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Phelps

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Phelps forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.511, -99.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Polk

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.187, -97.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Thayer

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Thayer forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.176, -97.595 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Webster

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.176, -98.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, York

When
February 9, 5:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
York forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.873, -97.597 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5231220, 5231221, 5231222, 5231223, 5231224, 5231225, 5231226, 5231227, 5231228, 5231229, 5231341, 5231342, 5231343, 5231344, 5231345, 5231346.