Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 6 to 7, 2003

Name: Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 6 to 7, 2003
Start: 2003-04-06T09:00
End: 2003-04-07T00:00
Location: Nebraska

April 6 to 7, 2003 · NWS GID · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Though the calender said April, the scene across much of south-central Nebraska looked more like January. A winter storm pound the area and dumped from 6 to 13 inches of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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: 22

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.

Though the calender said April, the scene across much of south-central Nebraska looked more like January. A winter storm pound the area and dumped from 6 to 13 inches of snow. The heaviest snow fell along and north of Interstate 80. Greeley measured 13 inches of fresh snow. Not far behind were Dannebrog and Wood River with 10 to 11 inches. Amounts in Kearney, Grand Island and Hastings ranged from 6.3 to 8.5 inches. The heavy wet snow brought very beneficial moisture to the region just ahead of the planting season. Water equivalent rates ranged from three-quarters to one and one-half inches.

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 Apr 6, 1:31 AM CST, 7 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 1:31 AM CST, 7 hours 29 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
131 AM CST SUN APR 6 2003

PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED MID/UPPER TROP WAVE OVER COLORADO THIS MORNING
MOVING NORTHEAST PER THE WV LOOP. PCPN BREAKING OUT TO OUR SOUTHWEST
PER LATEST RADAR/SFC OBS. GIVEN CONVECTIVE NATURE TO PCPN AREA, WILL
PLAN TO ADD THUNDER AND SLEET TO FORECAST FOR THIS MORNING CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN CWA. AS FOR HEADLINES...WILL RUN WITH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN
GOING WITH FOR THE LAST DAY, AND CONTINUE THIS MORNING WITH MINOR
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SNOW AMOUNTS. EITHER WAY...THERE WILL PROBABLY BE
A FEW REPORTS OVER THE NORTHERN CWA OF 8 OR HIGHER BY MONDAY
MORNING.

AFTER TONIGHT...UPPER SYSTEM LINGERS INTO MONDAY, SO WILL CONTINUE
THE MENTION OF SNOW...ALBEIT AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LESS THAN AN INCH
MOST LOCATIONS. ALSO DECIDED TO LOWER TEMPS FOR TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY GIVEN THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER SYSTEM AWAY FROM THE
CWA AND SNOW COVER. BY WEEKS END, HOWEVER, TEMPS SHOULD BE AOA
CLIMO WITH WX NIL.

.GID...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT ALL NE CWA AND
PHILLIPS KS WINTER WX ADVISORY SUNDAY REMAINDER OF NORTH CENTRAL KS

16

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 6, 3:30 AM CST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-071100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
430 AM CDT SUN APR 6 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND
PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A POWERFUL LATE SEASON WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO TAKE AIM ON SOUTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FOR TODAY AND
TONIGHT. AS A RESULT...A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED ALONG
AND NORTH OF A SUPERIOR TO FRANKLIN TO PHILLIPSBURG LINE FOR TODAY
AND TONIGHT. BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING...SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 8
INCHES WILL BE COMMON OVER THE WARNING AREA.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR POINTS ALONG AND EAST
OF A SMITH CENTER TO STOCKTON LINE FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT AS WELL.
STORM TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE COMMON IN THE ADVISORY AREA.

ALONG WITH THE SNOW...NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL CAUSE
SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR
OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER UPDATES CONCERNING THIS SITUATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.

16

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Clay

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.524, -98.051 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dawson

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.870, -99.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fillmore

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Furnas forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.177, -99.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gosper

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Gosper forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.515, -99.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greeley

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Greeley forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.567, -98.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hall

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Harlan forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.177, -99.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Howard

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Howard forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kearney

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Kearney forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.507, -98.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Merrick

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Merrick forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.170, -98.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nance

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Nance forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.397, -97.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Phelps

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.187, -97.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sherman

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Sherman forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.221, -98.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Valley

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Valley forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.567, -98.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Webster

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: York forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.873, -97.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Adams

When: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM 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: April 6, 9:00 AM CST to April 7, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.855, -99.075 (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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, April 2003

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: 5352006, 5352007, 5352008, 5352009, 5352010, 5352011, 5352012, 5352013, 5352014, 5352015, 5352016, 5352017, 5352018, 5352019, 5352020, 5352021, 5352022, 5352023, 5352024, 5352025, 5352915, 5352916.