Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 9, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 9, 2002
Start: 2002-02-09T11:00
End: 2002-02-09T21:00
Location: Nebraska

February 9, 2002 · NWS LBF · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A intense low pressure system moved across southern South Dakota, dragging a strong cold front across Nebraska. The combination of strong northwest winds, with gusts up to 50 mph, and snowfall reduced visibilities to near zero in most locations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: 11

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.

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 9, 3:05 AM CST, 7 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:05 AM CST, 7 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
305 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

...FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE IMMINENT HIGH WINDS AND SNOW
TODAY...THEN TEMPS IN THE LATER PERIODS...

ISENTROPIC LIFT SUPPORTING CLOUD FORMATION ON THE IR SAT IMAGERY
ACROSS KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI NORTHWARD. A LOOK AT 295K SFCS
SHOW VERY STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT TO ENSUE FROM 12Z-18Z FROM SERN SD
INTO SWRN NEBR AS 295K WINDS INCREASE TO 45-50KTS. THE SURFACE LOW
AT 08Z LOCATED FROM NEAR ONL TO ICT KS WITH THE GREATEST PRESSURE
FALLS FROM CNK KS TO ICT KS. THIS SUPPORTS A LOW CENTER AT 12Z JUST
NORTH OF CNK KS.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE CWFA TODAY AND THIS
EVENING.  MODELS CONTINUE TO SHIFT MAJOR WINTER STORM TRACK SLIGHTLY
FURTHER SOUTH EACH RUN WITH SNOWFALL POTENTIAL NOW REACHING INTO
SOUTHWEST PORTION OF CWA.  MODELS INDICATE DEFORMATION ZONE TO
DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL TODAY AS HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPS EAST
OF ONL TO BBW THIS AFTERNOON. SLOWING OF THE SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR
SNOW TO CONTINUE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF CWFA AND
END TO THE WEST. UNTIL SNOWFALL AND AMOUNTS BEGIN TO BE ESTABLISHED
OVER THE AREA TODAY...WILL NOT ISSUE A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR ANY
PORTION OF THE CWFA AT THIS TIME. WINDS HOWEVER WILL INCREASE
SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER SUNRISE AS H85 WINDS INCREASE TO 55 KTS...SFC
PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS UP AND H7 TO H5 LAPSE RATES 0F 6.5 C/KM
HELP TO TRANSPORT WINDS DOWNWARD.  GOING WINDS OF 35 TO 50 MPH AND
GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH LIKELY. TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL CONTINUE TO
FALL INTO THE AFTERNOON REACHING THE LOWER 20S NORTH AND MID 20S
SOUTH BY LATE AFTERNOON.

AFTER MIDNIGHT...WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH FROM WEST TO
EAST WITH BLOWING SNOW STILL A CONCERN. SKIES WILL CLEAR AS WELL AS
1050MB HIGH OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES BUILDS EAST AND LOWS TO THE
EAST MOVES AWAY. LOW TEMPS SHOULD FALL TO 10 TO 15 BY DAYBREAK.

SUNDAY...UPPER RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE AREA AS SFC HIGH CENTER MOVES
IN. WINDS WILL FURTHER DIMINISH DURING THE DAY TO 10 TO 20 MPH IN THE
AFTERNOON. H85 TEMPS WARM TO -2 TO -4 OVER THE CWFA. HAVE UNDERCUT
GUIDANCE ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES TO COMPENSATE FOR EXPECTED SNOW
COVER.

LOOKS DRY THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY AS UPPER RIDGE REMAINS TO THE
WEST AND WESTERLY WINDS BRINGS HIGHS IN THE 40S ACROSS ALL OF THE
THE CWFA BY MIDWEEK.

.LBF...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING ENTIRE
FORECAST AREA.

KAR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Sheridan

When: February 9, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Cherry

When: February 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Western Cherry forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brown

When: February 9, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Cherry

When: February 9, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Eastern Cherry forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Keya Paha

When: February 9, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Keya Paha forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Loup

When: February 9, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Loup forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 41.914, -99.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rock

When: February 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.421, -99.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Boyd

When: February 9, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Garfield

When: February 9, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 41.914, -98.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Holt

When: February 9, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Holt forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wheeler

When: February 9, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Wheeler forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 41.915, -98.528 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, February 2002

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: 5278297, 5278298, 5278290, 5278291, 5278294, 5278295, 5278296, 5278289, 5278292, 5278293, 5278299.