The combination of strong jet stream winds aloft, moisture streaming into the Central Plains from the Gulf of Mexico, and a large scale upper level low pressure system spinning over Arizona, brought a swath of heavy snow to parts of Southwest and West Central Nebraska. The snow began on the evening of March 16th and continued through March 17th.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LBF wrote it up.
The combination of strong jet stream winds aloft, moisture streaming into the Central Plains from the Gulf of Mexico, and a large scale upper level low pressure system spinning over Arizona, brought a swath of heavy snow to parts of Southwest and West Central Nebraska. The snow began on the evening of March 16th and continued through March 17th.
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 Mar 16, 3:08 PM CST, 3 hours 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 408 PM CDT SUN MAR 16 2008 .SYNOPSIS... H5 CLOSED LOW SPINNING OVER ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON WITH 120KT + JET DIGGING ON THE BACKSIDE. SEVERAL WAVES EXITING THE TROUGH...ONE OVER THE DAKOTAS AND ANOTHER ON THE NOSE OF THE 250MB JET OVER KANSAS. && .SHORT TERM... MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THIS AFTERNOON. BAND OF SNOW MOVING INTO SOUTHERN NEBRASKA WITH 1/2SM IN SNOW AT MCCOOK. MAIN CONCERN FOR FORECAST WILL BE PINPOINTING AREA WITH HIGER SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS. 295K SURFACE HAS STRONG UPGLIDE WITH GOOD MOISTURE TRANSPORT. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES STILL 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL VALUES FOR THE SEASON. Q VECTOR CONVERGENCE JUST TO THE NORTH OF KLBF. FRONTOGENETIC FORCING ALONG A LINE FROM KOGA TO KBBW. 700-850MB FRONTOGENESIS FROM KIML TO KBBW BY 9Z. HEAVIEST SNOW TO SET UP ALONG THIS LINE FROM 3Z TO 9Z. GROUND TEMPERATURES TO CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH SNOWFALL TOTALS INITIALLY. EVENING HOURS AS LOWER LAYERS BEGIN TO SATURATE AND BETTER FORCING SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED TO OVERCOME GROUND TEMPERATURES. HAVE ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING WITH SNOW ADVISORY NORTH AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO SOUTH AS PLUME FORECAST AND BUFR SOUNDINGS SUGGEST CHC FOR SOME ZR OVER SOUTHWEST. TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID 20S OVERNIGHT. HAVE TRENDED TOWARDS HPC QPFS. SECOND WAVE WITH CLOSED 700MB CIRCULATION TO LIFT OVER FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY WITH STRONG FORCING ANOTHER 3 TO 4 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION THROUGH THE DAY BEFORE SNOW BEGINS TO TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES GENERALLY AROUND FREEZING THROUGH THE DAY WITH MID 30S OVER EXTREME NORTHWEST CWA. HAVE HELD TEMPERATURES DOWN SOME ON TUESDAY WITH EXPECTED SNOW COVER. .LONG TERM... MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN EXTENDED WITH WEAK RIDGE BUILDING INTO NORTHERN PLAINS HAVE DROPPED TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES OVER SNOW COVERED AREAS WED AND THU. WEAK NORTHERN STREAM WAVES WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST FLOW AND GIVE MAINLY NORTHERN ZONES A SCHC FOR PRECIP THU. A MORE SIGNIFICANT WAVE DROPS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. HAVE ADDED SCHC TO FORECAST AND TRENDED TEMPERATURES DOWN. && .AVIATION... CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE ACROSS THE KLBF TAF SITE THIS EVENING...AND ENCOMPASSING THE KVTN TAF SITE OVERNIGHT. FIRST BAND OF SNOW WILL MOVE QUICKLY NORTH LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL REDUCE VSBYS BRIEFLY TO AROUND 2 MILES OR SO...THOUGH KMCK WENT DOWN TO 1/2 SM SO POTENTIAL EXISTS TO GO LOWER...THOUGH BRIEFLY. STRONGER DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR TWD 05Z WHEN STRONG FGEN SETS UP ACROSS SW NEBRASKA. THERE IS SOME CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL AS WELL BASED ON LOW LEVEL PV PROGS AND HENCE EPV PROGS. THIS SHOULD AIDE IN INCREASING SNOWFALL RATES SUCH THAT VSBYS WILL BE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE OVERNIGHT. KVTN TAF VSBYS/CIGS ALSO COME DOWN BUT FORCING NOT AS STRONG THERE SO SLIGHTLY BETTER CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL. IFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL DUE TO LOW CIGS...BUT LOW VSBYS WILL TAKE KLBF DOWN TO LIFR AT TIMES. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM CDT/ 6 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING TO 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ MONDAY FOR NEZ022-025-035>037-056>059-069. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 1 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR NEZ008>010-026>029-038. SNOW ADVISORY FROM 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING TO 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ MONDAY FOR NEZ004-005-023-024-094. SNOW ADVISORY FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 1 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR NEZ006- 007. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM CDT MONDAY FOR NEZ070-071. && JWS/POWER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 342 PM CDT SUN MAR 16 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-172045- SHERIDAN-EASTERN CHERRY-KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN- GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON- LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER- WESTERN CHERRY- 342 PM CDT SUN MAR 16 2008 /242 PM MDT SUN MAR 16 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TONIGHT. AN AREA OF HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED FROM THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA INTO PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS EVENING...CONTINUING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. UNLIKE PREVIOUS STORMS EARLIER THIS YEAR...AS THIS SYSTEM DEVELOPS THIS EVENING A STRONG INFLOW OF MOISTURE WILL BE AVAILABLE. THIS MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH SUFFICIENT COLD AIR TO PRODUCE SNOWFALL...HEAVY AT TIMES. IN ADDITION...UNSTABLE AIR WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AS THE SYSTEM MATURES WHICH WILL SERVE TO ENHANCE THE SNOWFALL. THE RESULT COULD LEAD TO SNOWFALL RATES APPROACHING 2 INCHES PER HOUR IN SOME LOCATIONS. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED IN THE AREAS OF HEAVY SNOW TO LESS THAN ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES. TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BECOME HAZARDOUS IN SOME AREAS OF SOUTHWEST INTO NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TONIGHT. IN ADDITION...PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET MAY MIX WITH THE SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF HAYES AND FRONTIER COUNTIES TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SNOWFALL...HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE MONDAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ALONG AN AREA FROM SOUTHWEST INTO NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE 6 TO 8 INCHES IN THIS AREA...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE PLAINS NEAR THE END OF THE WEEK AND MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE RAIN OR SNOW IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. HOWEVER...THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT...HOWEVER SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM ACROSS THE AREA WILL BE USEFUL TONIGHT AND MONDAY. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE JWS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow ranging from 4 to 8.5 inches occurred across Lincoln County. The highest report of 8.5 inches was in North Platte.
Heavy snow totaling 8 inches was reported by the public three miles south of Grant.
Light freezing rain occurred briefly before the snow in Chase County. Heavy snow ranging from 4 to 8 inches occurred across Chase County. The highest report of 8 inches was reported 8 miles west of Champion.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, March 2008
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: 79365, 79364, 79366.