Nebraska, 2002

Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 9 to 10, 2002

February 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS FSD · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
2

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 FSD wrote it up.

Snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities. Some businesses closed early.

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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 10:55 AM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 10:55 AM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS
1055 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

NOT MANY CHANGES TO GOING FORECAST...MAINLY JUST TWEAKING SNOW
AMOUNTS HERE AND THERE.

DECENT SNOW BAND CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL MN...THRU NERN TO
SWRN SD.  SECOND BAND OF 88D ECHOES STREATCHES ACROSS NWRN IA INTO
SOUTH CENTRAL NE...BUT MUCH OF THE NORTHERN END OF THIS DOES NOT
HAVE GROUND TRUTH TO SUPPORT...INDICATING THIS MOISTURE IS STILL
MOSTLY ALOFT.

12Z MODELS CONSISTENT IN SHOWING BEST DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR SNOWFALL
ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST CWA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS
AFOREMENTIONED PRECIP BANDS CONVERGE OVER THE AREA.  APPEARS HIGHEST
SNOWFALL TOTALS SHOULD COVER THE AREA SOUTHEAST OF THE KYKN...KFSD
AND KMWM AREAS...AND HAVE BUMPED UP TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS FOR MUCH OF
NWRN IA TO 4-7 INCH RANGE.  MOST AREAS OF CWA WILL REMAIN BELOW 6
INCH LEVEL...BUT EXPECTED STRONG WINDS COMBINING WITH THE SNOWFALL
WARRANT KEEPING CURRENT WARNINGS GOING.  AT THIS TIME NOT LOOKING
FOR WINDS TO BE QUITE STRONG ENOUGH DURING HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TO
REACH BLIZZARD CRITERIA...BUT WILL DEFINITELY HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE
ON THIS THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON.

.FSD...WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE MRNG THRU EARLY EVE JAMES RIVER WEST
       WNTR STORM WRNG  AFTN THRU EVE  SERN SD TO FAR SWRN MN
       WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE AFTN THRU TNGT RMDR SWRN MN TO NWRN IA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Dakota

When
February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Dakota forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.391, -96.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dixon

When
February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Dixon forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.493, -96.868 (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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5283782, 5283783.