Nebraska, 2002

Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 9 to 10, 2002

February 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS OAX · 23 events in 23 counties and zones

Rain changed to snow from west to east across eastern Nebraska and part of west central Iowa from late Saturday morning 02/09 through late afternoon. The snow ended over much of eastern Nebraska and west Central Iowa by 2 or 3 am on the 10th, although strong winds continued to cause blowing and drifting snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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
23

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.

Rain changed to snow from west to east across eastern Nebraska and part of west central Iowa from late Saturday morning 02/09 through late afternoon. The snow ended over much of eastern Nebraska and west Central Iowa by 2 or 3 am on the 10th, although strong winds continued to cause blowing and drifting snow. The changeover to snow was accompanied by north winds which gusted between 40 and 50 mph. Although snow amounts weren't excessive from this storm, generally 2 to 5 inches, the strong winds caused substantial blowing and drifting snow. This was especially true north and northwest of Omaha where the rain changed to snow the earliest and had less moisture content. The blowing and drifting snow closed highways north and west of Fremont and north and east of Norfolk. There was a report that 40 vehicles at one time or another ended up in a ditch along a short stretch of highway 92 southeast of David City. Because of that, law enforcement officials closed the highway there stranding many residents in David City for the night. Because the snow was wetter from around Fairbury northeast to Lincoln and Omaha, and points north and northeast, the blowing and drifting was not as pronounced. However, the since the wet snow stuck to power lines and trees, numerous power outages occurred when the winds picked up. OPPD estimated over 8000 customers lost power around and to the north of Omaha. Norris Public Power near Lincoln reported 1200 customers lost power north of Lincoln when 40 electric poles and a number of cross arms were broken by the heavy wet snow and gusty winds. Also an electrical tower near Lincoln was snapped dragging electrical lines across highway 77 north of town closing the highway for 3 hours and causing lights to flicker throughout Lincoln.Higher snow amounts included...6 inches at Wayne, 5 in Little Sioux, Iowa and Uehling, Nebraska and 4 inches in Blair, Madison, Tekamah, West Point and Schuyler, Nebraska and Castana, Iowa. Higher wind gusts included 52 mph in Beatrice, 51 mph in Columbus and 46 mph at Norfolk.

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 Feb 9, 3:35 PM CST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:35 PM CST, 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
335 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

LOST PREVIOUS AFD DURING COMPUTER PROBLEMS...WILL GET ONE OUT AFTER
ZONES.

COORDINATION APPRECIATED WITH GID/TOP/FSD/DSM/EAX.

.OMA...WINTER STORM WARNING TNGT NERN NEBR
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>033-042-043
       WINTER STORM WARNING TNGT ZONES NEZ044-050-051-065-066-
       WINTER STORM WARNING TNGT AND SUN MORNING ZONES
       NEZ034-045-052-053-067 IAZ043-055-056-079-080
       WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT NEZ078-088-089
       WINTER WX ADVSRY TNGT AND SUNDAY MORNING
       NEZ068-090>093 IAZ090-091

GRIFFIS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Jefferson

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.176, -97.143 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Antelope

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM 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, Burt

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Burt forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.852, -96.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Butler

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Butler forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.226, -97.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cedar

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Cedar forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.599, -97.252 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Colfax

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Colfax forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.574, -97.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cuming

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Cuming forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.916, -96.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dodge

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Dodge forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.578, -96.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Douglas

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.295, -96.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gage

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Gage forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.262, -96.689 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Knox

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Knox forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.637, -97.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lancaster

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Lancaster forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.784, -96.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Madison

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.917, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pierce

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM 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, Platte

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Platte forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.571, -97.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Saline

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Saline forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.524, -97.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sarpy

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Sarpy forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.113, -96.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Saunders

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Saunders forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.226, -96.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Seward

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Seward forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.872, -97.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stanton

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Stanton forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.917, -97.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Thurston

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Thurston forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.158, -96.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.531, -96.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wayne

When
February 9, 4:00 PM CST to February 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.209, -97.119 (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: 5280679, 5280680, 5280681, 5280682, 5280683, 5280684, 5280685, 5280686, 5280687, 5280688, 5280689, 5280690, 5280691, 5280692, 5280693, 5280694, 5280695, 5280696, 5280697, 5280698, 5280699, 5280700, 5280701.