A strong upper level system moved from Wyoming into South Dakota bringing heavy snow to portions of North Central Nebraska during the night of March 30th through the morning of March 31st.
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.
A strong upper level system moved from Wyoming into South Dakota bringing heavy snow to portions of North Central Nebraska during the night of March 30th through the morning of March 31st.
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 30, 2:17 PM CST, 6 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 317 PM CDT SUN MAR 30 2008 .SYNOPSIS... AT 19Z...THE 6.7 MICRON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWED A BROAD BAROCLINIC AREA ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND INTO NEVADA. ALSO...A MATURING VORTEX WAS INDICATED OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND A DEVELOPING WAVE OUT IN THE PACIFIC SOUTH OF ALASKA AND WEST OF OREGON. AT THE SURFACE...HAND ANALYSIS SHOWED A FRONT FROM A LOW PRESSURE CENTER OVER WESTERN ONTARIO THROUGH THE MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES AND TO A LOW IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO. THE FRONT THEN EXTENDED TO ANOTHER LOW IN SOUTHEAST UTAH. AN INVERTED TROUGH OR OCCLUDED FRONT COULD BE SEEN FROM SOUTHEAST UTAH THROUGH NORTHWEST COLORADO AND ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING. HIGH PRESSURE WAS CENTERED OVER NORTHEAST MONTANA AND SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. THE RADAR MOSAIC SHOWED WIDESPREAD SNOW ALONG THE NEBRASKA-SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. DEEP ISENTROPIC LIFT IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL 12Z. THEN...A CROSS SECTION INDICATES ELEVATED 2D- FRONTOGENESIS TAKES OVER AND INTENSIFIES AT 18Z. SO SNOWFALL MAY CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON. IN THE REST OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE CONTINUES THROUGH AT LEAST 15Z. LIFTING IN BOTH AREAS EXTENDS INTO A CONDITIONALLY UNSTABLE LAYER AS INDICATED BY FOLDED THETA-E...SO HEAVIER CONVECTIVE SNOW BANDS ARE POSSIBLE. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 0.45-0.75 INCH PERSISTING FOR UP TO 18 HOURS WOULD SUPPORT MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTHERN ZONES. THERE IS SOME QUESTION ABOUT THE NORTHEAST SINCE THEY WILL START WITH RAIN AND MAY HAVE MOST OF IT IN THAT FORM. CURRENT THINKING IS ISSUING A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR CHERRY AND KEYA PAHA COUNTIES AND A SNOW ADVISORY FOR MOST OF THE REST OF THE NORTH CENTRAL ZONES. ADDING TO THE POTPOURRI...THERE IS A FAIRLY HIGH PROBABILITY OF A WINTRY MIX OF RAIN...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW...THOUGH NOT HEAVY AMOUNTS OF ANY. THIS WILL WARRANT AN ADVISORY ALSO. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST IF THE REGION...WITH LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS. THIS WILL INDUCE A SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA...ALONG WITH DECENT WARM AIR ADVECTION AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT. GFS CONTINUES TO HINT AT AN AREA OF RAIN/SNOW DEVELOPING IN THE NORTH LATER TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...SO WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCES FOR THIS. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...ANOTHER SHORT WAVE AND ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVE INTO THE PLAINS. LATEST 12Z RUN OF THE GFS HAS TRENDED FURTHER SOUTH WITH THE SYSTEM. SURFACE LOW MOVES FROM THE TEXAS PANHANDLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND THEN INTO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY FRIDAY MORNING. STILL LOOKS LIKE A DECENT SHOT OF PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF RAIN OR SNOW. DID TRIM POPS BACK SLIGHTLY IN THE NORTH DUE TO THE MORE SOUTHERN TRACK. FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY...LOOKS LIKE A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. A WEAK DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THIS FLOW COULD BRING SOME MID CLOUDS AND A SPRINKLE OR TWO...BUT WILL NOT MENTION ANY PRECIP RIGHT NOW. && .AVIATION... SATELLITE SHOWS AN ABUNDANCE OF MOISTURE RETURNING NORTHWEST ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA. OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY INCREASED UPSLOPE FLOW AND A SLOW EVOLVING UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CREATE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR IFR CONTIONS OVERNIGHT AT THE VTN AND LBF TERMINALS. CEILING WILL LOWER BEYOND 00Z WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AT THE VTN TERMINAL FROM 06Z TO 12Z MONDAY. FURTHER SOUTH THE BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE WILL INCREASE WITH CEILING LOWERING TO MVFR THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO IFR RANGES TONIGHT. TEMPERATURE PROFILES SUPPORT SNOW AT BOTH TERMINAL SITES TONIGHT WITH AREAS OF FOG TO FURTHER REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO BELOW 3 MILES THROUGHOUT. MONDAY MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO DRY OUT ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST BY MID DAY...WHILE DEEP MOISTURE ACROSS THE NORTH WILL KEEP IFR CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AT THE VTN TERMINAL. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 1 PM CDT /12 PM MDT/ MONDAY FOR NEZ005-006-094. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 AM CDT /MIDNIGHT MDT/ TO 1 PM CDT /12 PM MDT/ MONDAY FOR NEZ069>071. SNOW ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 7 PM CDT MONDAY FOR NEZ007>010-026- 027. SNOW ADVISORY FROM 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING TO 1 PM CDT /12 PM MDT/ MONDAY FOR NEZ004-022>025. && SPRINGER/TAYLOR/KECK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 324 PM CDT SUN MAR 30 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-311000- 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- 324 PM CDT SUN MAR 30 2008 /224 PM MDT SUN MAR 30 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. VARIOUS WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS ARE IN EFFECT TONIGHT INTO MONDAY AS UPSLOPE FLOW WILL BRING AN ABUNDANCE OF MOISTURE NORTHWEST ACROSS NEBRASKA. SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM LIFTS NORTHEAST. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN AFFECT FOR CHERRY AND KEYA PAHA COUNTIES WHERE HEAVY SNOW IS LIKELY OVERNIGHT. SURROUNDING THE WARNING AREA IS A SNOW ADVISORY WHERE 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE. THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL BE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20...WITH LOCALIZED AREAS OF HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE. LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE FURTHER SNOW BUT NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ALONG THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR. HOWEVER FROM MIDNIGHT MDT TO NOON MDT MONDAY...A WINTRY MIXTURE OF PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE IN CHASE...HAYES...AND FRONTIER COUNTIES...WITH A MIXTURE OF SLEET...SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN TO CREATE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL IN AREAS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20 FROM MERRIMAN IN CHERRY COUNTY TO MILLS IN KEYA PAHA COUNTY OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE SNOW COMBINED WITH FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN A MILE FROM MIDNIGHT THROUGH MID MORNING. MOTORISTS TRAVELING ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20 DURING THIS PERIOD SHOULD ANTICIPATE DETERIORATING CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. MONDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE NORTH WITH STORM TOTAL SNOWFALLS IN CHERRY AND KEYA PAHA COUNTIES TO RANGE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES. LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS MAY OCCUR BEFORE THE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM LIFTS NORTHEAST AND THE SNOW TAPERS OFF DURING THE EVENING ACROSS THE NORTH .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER...COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND SNOW DEPTH TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE KECK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow occurred across eastern Cherry County during the night of March 30th into the morning of March 31st. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches.
Heavy snow occurred across Keya Paha County during the night of March 30th into the morning of March 31st. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches.
Heavy snow occurred across western Cherry County during the night of March 30th into the morning of March 31st. Snowfall amounts ranging from 4 to 10 inches occurred with the highest amount of 10 inches reported 5 miles west northwest of Cody.
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: 79371, 84613, 79367.