Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 13, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 13, 2001
Start: 2001-01-13T13:00
End: 2001-01-13T21:00
Location: Nebraska

January 13, 2001 · NWS OAX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A heavy wet snow fell over northeast Nebraska from Saturday afternoon 1/13/01 into Saturday evening. and temperatures were around freezing during much of the snow event.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 4

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 heavy wet snow fell over northeast Nebraska from Saturday afternoon 1/13/01 into Saturday evening. The snow was preceded by light rain and sleet...and temperatures were around freezing during much of the snow event. Winds were moderate...so because of the moisture content of the snow and the relative lack of strong winds drifting was not that significant. Heavier snow amounts included...7 inches at Orchard, and 6 inches at Bloomfield, Loretto, Neligh, and Osmond.

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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 13, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
330 AM CST SAT JAN 13 2001

MESSY FORECAST THIS MORNING.  MAIN PROBLEMS ARE PCPN TYPE AND AMOUNT.
00Z MODELS WERE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH 00Z SUN.  AVN WAS A
LITTLE FASTER EJECTING THE SYSTEM OUT COMPARED TO THE ETA AND NGM.
SURFACE ANALYSIS EARLY THIS MORNING SHOWED ONE LOW PRES CENTER IN
FAR NERN CO AND ANOTHER FARTHER SOUTH...TO THE EAST OF KTAD.  SOUTH/
SOUTHEAST FLOW ACROSS THE PLAINS...WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN THE
30S OVER MO...KS...MOST OF NE AND MOST OF IA.  READINGS IN THE LOCAL
AREA RANGE FROM 30 TO 35.  PATTERN IS FAVORABLE FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW
ACCUMULATION IN PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA/SOUTHWEST IOWA.  500 MB
HEIGHT FALL CENTER WILL TRACK TO OUR SOUTH...AND EXPECT GOOD
DIVERGENCE ALOFT WITH LEFT EXIT REGION OF UPPER TROPOSPHERIC JET.
WILL ADJUST WINTER STORM WATCH AREA SLIGHTLY.  BEST AREA FOR HEAVY
SNOW SEEMS TO BE FROM THE ALBION/COLUMBUS/DAVID CITY AREAS EAST
TOWARD BLAIR AND TQE.  ENOUGH UNCERTAINTY THOUGH...SO INCLUDED THE
LNK AND OMA AREAS.  POCKET OF STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES MOVES
ACROSS SERN NE/SWRN IA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THAT WILL
HAVE TO BE MONITORED...AND COULD AFFECT LOCATION OF HEAVY PCPN
BAND.

EXPECT PCPN TO BE MIXED UNTIL COLDER AIR/STRONG LIFT MOVE IN LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  AS THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS TO NWRN MO BY
EARLY SUNDAY...COLDER AIR SHOULD BE PULLED IN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE
SYSTEM.  BEST PCPN SHOULD MOVE EAST OR NORTHEAST OUT OF OUR AREA BY
SUNDAY AFTERNOON...BUT SOME LGT WRAPAROUND SNOW IS STILL LIKELY.
EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO RECOVER LITTLE ON SUNDAY.  THANKS TO GID...
FSD \AND LBF FOR COORDINATION THIS MORNING.

.OMA...WINTER STORM WATCH FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>067-078 AND ALSO
IAZ043-055-056-069-079

MILLER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Pierce

When: January 13, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Pierce forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.264, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Antelope

When: January 13, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Antelope forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.177, -98.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Boone

When: January 13, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.707, -98.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Knox

When: January 13, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.637, -97.892 (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, January 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: 5227769, 5227770, 5227771, 5227772.