Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 15, 2003

Name: Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 15, 2003
Start: 2003-02-15T00:00
End: 2003-02-15T12:00
Location: Nebraska

February 15, 2003 · NWS GID · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A post Valentines Day storm dropped from 6 to 7 inches of snow in portions of Polk county. Wind gusts to 35 mph caused substantial blowing and drifting of the snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 1

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.

A post Valentines Day storm dropped from 6 to 7 inches of snow in portions of Polk county. Wind gusts to 35 mph caused substantial blowing and drifting of the snow. Initially, precipitation began as rain, then mixed with sleet at times before changing to snow.

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 Feb 14, 9:55 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 14, 9:55 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
955 PM CST FRI FEB 14 2003

WILL BE UPDATING TO DOWNGRADE WINTER STORM WARNING TO AN ADVISORY
OVERNIGHT. INDICATIONS ARE THAT WE WILL FALL WELL SHORT OF 6 INCHES
MOST AREAS. WILL REWORD AS 2-4 INCHES NORTHEAST TO 1-2 SOUTHWEST.
WILL ALSO MENTION FZDZ AS A SMALL AREA HAS FORMED IN BETWEEN RAIN
AND SNOW AREAS.

.GID...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NEBRASKA COUNTIES AS WELL AS
       SMITH JEWELL AND MITCHELL COUNTIES IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
       INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

GURNEY

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 14, 12:02 PM CST, 11 hours 58 minutes before

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-151200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1202 PM CST FRI FEB 14 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING OUT OF THE ROCKIES WILL SET THE
STAGE FOR SNOW TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING IN CENTRAL AND
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. A COLD AIR MASS IS EXPECTED TO SETTLE ACROSS
THE REGION...WITH RAIN QUICKLY CHANGING OVER TO SNOW DURING THE
EVENING HOURS.

THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR SNOWFALL APPEARS TO BE IN AREAS EAST OF A
LINE FROM ORD...TO GRAND ISLAND...TO RED CLOUD...WHERE ACCUMULATIONS
OF 4 TO 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE BY SATURDAY MORNING. FURTHERMORE...
STRONG GUSTY WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH OR GREATER WILL CAUSE BLOWING
AND DRIFTING SNOW AND NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES OVERNIGHT
AND EARLY SATURDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

SNOW WILL END AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY
MORNING. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

GUYER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Polk

When: February 15, 12:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.187, -97.568 (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, February 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: 5343391.