A strong upper level low pressure system moved east across southern South Dakota on November 5th and 6th. Very strong northwest winds combined with up to 12 inches of snow to produce near whiteout conditions across Sheridan and Cherry Counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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 low pressure system moved east across southern South Dakota on November 5th and 6th. Very strong northwest winds combined with up to 12 inches of snow to produce near whiteout conditions across Sheridan and Cherry Counties. High winds of 35 to 45 with some gusts in excess of 60 mph occurred across the remainder of western and north central Nebraska.
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 Nov 6, 3:24 AM CST, 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 324 AM CST THU NOV 6 2008 .DISCUSSION... DAYS LIKE THIS...SHOULD HAVE MAJORED IN ECONOMICS. IMPRESSIVE DRY SLOT SHOWING UP IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY WITH THE EPV RICH AIR MAKING IN BACK DOWN TOWARD PINE RIDGE EARLY THIS MORNING. A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES IDNICATIVE OF THE CONVECTIVE NATURE BUT ALSO THINK MODELS UNDER ESTIMATING HOW MUCH DRY AIR IS MAKING IT BACK WEST. SOME HINT OF THIS IN VARIOUS DEW POINT DEP OF RAOB COMPARED TO MODEL HGHTS. IMPRESSIVE H4 40 DEGREE SPREAD AT ABR WHERE DARKENING IS MOST APPARENT. SNOW HAS HAD HARD TIME ACCUMULATING SO FAR AND VSBYS HAVING HARD TIME GETTING EVEN BELOW A MILE. HOWEVER QUANDRY IS WINDS ARE BECOMING QUITE STRONG AND ARE EXPECTED TO MAYBE EVEN PUSH WARNING CRIT OVER ADV AREA ATTM. WILL DEBATE APPROPIATE HEADLINE UP UNTIL ISSUANCE BUT WILL MOST LIKELY HAVE SOME KIND OF WARNING. BUFKIT PROFILES AND GUIDANCE WOULD HINT AT WARNING CRIT WIND FROM VTN AND WESTWARD WHERE SOME ACCUM SNOW IS POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE SOUTH OF HERE WIND LOOKS TO BE PREDOMINANT WORRY AND HAVE PLACED WARNINGS IN THE WEST AND ADV EAST INCLUDING REMOVING SOUTHERN PART OF SNOW ADV AND PLACED IN APPROP WIND HIGHLIGHTS. SFC ANALYSIS PAST 6 HOURS HAS SHOWN LOW HAS DEEPENED AND WOBBLED BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST...AS PV LOBE HAS MOST LIKELY LINKED TO THE MID LEVEL THERMAL LAYER WRAPPING BACK AROUND THE LOW. THIS HAS GREATLY INCREASED GRAD FROM BLACK HILLS INTO WESTERN PANHANDLE AND WINDS IN RESPONSE ARE APPROACHING WARNING ALREADY. THESE SHOULD CONITNUE INTO EARLY EVENING AND WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO BE REPLACED BY ADV AS GRADIENT AND LLVL WINDS REMAIN STRONG IN THIS NEARLY STACKED CYCLONE. MOISTURE AND TROWAL WILL CONTINUE TO WRAP AROUND THE LOW AND KEEP THREAT OF LIGHT SNOW ACROSS NORTHEAST CWA WELL INTO THE NIGHT...BUT THINK SIG ACCUMS SHOULD REMAIN WELL NORTH OF BORDER. FOR NOW WILL KEEP ADV IN FOR THESE ZONES EAST OF HWY 83...BUT THIS SHOULD REMAIN MONITORED. COLD AIR WILL CONTINUE TO POUR INTO NORTHERN ZONES AS LOW WOBBLES EASTWARD AND PTYPE LOOKS TO BE ALL SNOW BY LATE AFTERNOON AS TEMPS SHOULD FALL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO GET A KICK OUT OF AREA BY NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY DROPPING INTO NORTHERN PLAINS. THE BAD NEWS IS THIS SYSTEM WILL COMBINE WITH ENERGY OVER H.BAY AND FORM LARGER VORTEX OVER GREAT LAKES REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND THIS WILL KEEP COLD AIR CIRCULATING INTO EASTERN ZONES FRIDAY INTO SAT...THEN AS SECONDARY ARCTIC FRONT ROTATES THORUGH SAT NIGHT COLD AIR WILL BE PUSHED FARTHER WESTWARD FOR SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. HAVE LOWERED TEMPS THROUGH THIS PERIOD AND INTRODUCED SOME LIGHT PCPN. LOOK LIKE IT SHOULD BE FAIRLY LIGHT UPSLOPE/WAA ALOFT SAT NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...WITH PROFILES HINTING AS LIGHT SNOW AND/OR FZDZ EVENT AS ARCTIC AIR SLIDES WESTWARD. && .AVIATION... AJOR STORM SYSTEM CAUSING DIFFICULT TRAVEL FOR AREA AIRPORTS. TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN LOW IN EASTERN S DAKOTA AND HIGH MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WILL CAUSE WINDS TO INCREASE ABOVE 40KTS AT TIMES FOR BOTH LBF AND VTN. MEANWHILE COLD TEMPS WRAPPING INTO THE SYSTEM WILL COMBINE WITH MODEST MOISTURE TO PRODUCE PERIODS OF SNOW FOR THE KVTN TERMINAL. THE WINDS AND SNOW WILL REDUCE VSBY TO LIFR AT TIMES...WITH GENERALLY MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS FROM LOW CIGS AND VSBY. FURTHER SOUTH...AT KLBF...LESS MOISTURE AND WARMER TEMPS WILL LEAD TO A MIX OF RAIN OR SNOW THIS MORNING...BECOMING ALL RAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN PROBLEM AS GUSTS NEAR 50 KTS THIS AFTERNOON. MEANWHILE LOW CIGS TO KEEP AREA IN MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS AT TIMES. IMPROVING CONDITIONS TONIGHT AS SYSTEM PUSHES ONTO THE NORTHEAST WITH WINDS SLOWLY DIMINISHING...PRECIP ENDING...AND CIGS LIFTING...ESPECIALLY AT KLBF. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CST /8 PM MST/ THIS EVENING FOR NEZ022>024-035-036-056>059-069>071. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST /11 PM MST/ TONIGHT FOR NEZ004-005-094. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR NEZ006>010. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR NEZ025>029-037-038. && 13/MASEK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 331 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-061015- 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- 331 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 /231 PM MST WED NOV 5 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST TONIGHT. RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN SANDHILLS WILL TRANSITION TO A RAIN AND SNOW MIXTURE THIS EVENING AND OVER TO SNOW BY MIDNIGHT. THE GREATEST RISK FOR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION WILL BE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2 FROM HAY SPRINGS EAST TO THE VALENTINE AREA. GROUND SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID 40S ACROSS THE NORTHWEST THAT WILL LIMIT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT TO A RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES AND A STORM TOTAL OF 3 TO 6 INCHES. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL TAPER OFF AS YOU HEAD SOUTH THROUGH WESTERN NEBRASKA AS THE SNOWFALL WILL EXPAND EAST AND SOUTH...AS NORTHWEST WINDS STRENGTHEN TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH OVERNIGHT. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS POSTED THROUGH 6 PM CST (5 PM MST) FOR SHERIDAN...AND CHERRY COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THURSDAY THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL EXPAND SOUTH AND EAST AND ENCOMPASS AREAS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2 EAST TO THE DUNNING AREA...THEN FOR AREAS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 91 FURTHER EAST TO THE ERICSON AREA. THE SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCIATED FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHEAST TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES ON THURSDAY THAT WILL DRAW MUCH COLDER AIR SOUTH BEHIND THE EXITING SYSTEM. AS THE SYSTEM LIFTS NORTHEAST STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING SNOW ACROSS THE NORTH IN ADDITION TO SNOW FALLING THROUGH THE DAY. THE STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL EXTEND ACROSS ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE NORTHWEST WINDS AT 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS TO 45 MPH TO LINGER OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY FOR AREAS EAST OF HIGHWAY 83 WITH WIND ADVISORIES POSTED FOR THURSDAY FOR THE SOUTHWEST AND CUSTER COUNTY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE CHANCE FOR MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL RETURN SUNDAY AS A FAST MOVING SYSTEM MOVES EAST OF THE FOOTHILLS. AT THIS TIME NO SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH LATER MODEL RUNS TO PROVIDE BETTER DETAIL FOR THE WEEKEND SYSTEM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && 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.
17 high wind, 3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to 58 mph were common across McPherson County throughout the afternoon.
Strong northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts combined with snow to cause near whiteout conditions. Snow drifts up to 3 feet high closed rural roads. More than 65 semi trucks were stranded in Valentine as conditions were too treacherous to travel. Winds gusted to 59 mph at the Valentine ASOS at 1203 am CST November 7th.
Heavy snow of 6 to 12 inches fell across the northern half of Sheridan County. The heavy snow along with northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph broke off numerous trees and power poles and caused snow drifts up to 4 feet high. Many rural homes were without electricity for over 48 hours. Drifting snow south of Rushville blocked all the doors to one home and the owner had to crawl out of a window to get out.
Northwest winds gusted to 64 mph at 455 am CST at a mesonet site in Garden County. The high winds snapped power lines and caused electrical outages for several hours in Oshkosh and Lisco.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to 58 mph were common across Arthur County throughout the afternoon.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to 58 mph were common across Deuel County throughout the afternoon.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph were common across Keith County behind a strong low pressure system. The peak gust recorded at the Ogallala airport was 58 mph at 850 am CST.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to around 58 mph were common across Perkins County.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts were common across Chase County. The peak wind recorded at the Imperial ASOS was 59 mph at 1238 pm CST. High winds continued across Chase County into the afternoon hours.
Snow up to 6 inches deep fell across portions of western Cherry County. Snow along with northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph broke off some trees and power poles and caused snow drifts up to 4 feet high. Many rural homes lost electricity during the storm.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to 58 mph were common across Grant County throughout the afternoon.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts were common across Brown County. The peak wind at the Ainsworth airport AWOS was 59 mph at 110 am CST on November 7th.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph were common across Rock County. The peak wind recorded was 58 mph at 1110 am CST.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph were common across Thomas County. The highest sustained wind speed recorded at the Thedford airport AWOS was 45 mph at 950 am CST.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph were common across Blaine County. The peak gust recorded at the mesonet site at Dunning was 65 mph at 949 am CST.
Sustained northwest winds of around 40 mph with higher gusts were common across Loup County.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts were common across Logan County. The peak gust recorded was 58 mph at 1256 pm CST.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts were common across Custer County. The highest gust recorded at the Broken Bow ASOS was 61 mph at 1213 pm CST.
Northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts of around 59 mph were common across Keya Paha County.
Sustained northwest winds of 40 to 45 mph with gusts to around 50 mph were common across Hooker County.
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, November 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: 134863, 139944, 134850, 134860, 134862, 134864, 134865, 134866, 134867, 139940, 139967, 134853, 134854, 134855, 134856, 134857, 134858, 134859, 139965, 139968.