An intense winter storm tracked from southeastern Colorado into Nebraska. The winter storm brought winter storm and blizzard conditions to portions of the southeast panhandle into southwest and central Nebraska on December 19, 2012.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
An intense winter storm tracked from southeastern Colorado into Nebraska. The winter storm brought winter storm and blizzard conditions to portions of the southeast panhandle into southwest and central Nebraska on December 19, 2012.
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 Dec 19, 4:30 AM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 530 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012 .AVIATION...FOR THE KLBF AND KVTN TERMINALS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY. FOR THE KLBF TERMINAL...FLT CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE QUICKLY THIS MORNING AS SNOW DEVELOPS ACROSS WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA. SNOW WILL BEGIN AROUND MID MORNING...WITH VSBYS DROPPING DOWN TO A MILE OR LESS BY 17Z. THIS AFTERNOON...PERIODIC VISIBILITIES DOWN TO 1/2SM ARE LIKELY DURING THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS. CIGS DURING THIS PERIOD WILL BE IFR AND WILL DROP TO LIFR WITH THE HEAVIER PERIODS OF SNOW. FLT CONDS WILL IMPROVE BEGINNING MID EVENING WITH CIGS BECOMING VFR AFTER 03Z TONIGHT. NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE AFTER 15Z THIS MORNING AND WILL GUST UP TO 30 KTS THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH THIS EVENING...DECREASING TO 10 TO 15 KTS OVERNIGHT. FOR THE KVTN TERMINAL...LOOK FOR CIGS TO DROP TO MVFR LATER THIS MORNING WITH LIGHT SNOW POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH VSBYS DOWN TO 1SM. SNOW WILL END BY 00Z THIS EVENING WITH VFR CIGS EXPECTED THERE AFTER. NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT RANGING FROM 10 TO 20 KTS TODAY AND 10 TO 15 KTS TONIGHT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 354 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012/ SYNOPSIS... EVENING HAND ANALYSIS OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS REVEALS A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL WAVE CENTERED ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS WHERE ASSOCIATED HEIGHT FALLS OF A 120 & 140 METERS WERE NOTED AT KLAS AND KSAN WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE 00Z RAOBS. ALSO OF NOTE...A SIGNIFICANT MID-UPPER JET STRETCHES FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST...ACROSS THE ROCKIES...INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND EAST TOWARD THE MID-ATLANTIC...WITH SEVERAL AREAS OF THE JET EXCEEDING 130KTS AT H3. AMPLE MOISTURE IS STREAMING ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE UPPER JET...WITH A STEADY STREAM CROSSING THE CENTRAL PLAINS AT THIS HOUR. AT THE SURFACE...MAIN SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER WAVE IS NOTED ACROSS WESTERN/CENTRAL COLORADO WITH A SURFACE COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWEST FROM THE LOW TOWARD WESTERN ARIZONA. ANOTHER SURFACE BOUNDARY STRETCHED WEST FROM A WEAK SURFACE LOW OVER NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TOWARD THE BITTEROOTS. AREA METARS REVEAL A BIT OF DRY AIR THAT NEEDS TO BE OVERCOME BEFORE ANY SNOW WERE TO MAKE IT TO THE SURFACE...HOWEVER OVER THE PAST HOUR KBFF HAS REPORTED -SN...BUT MOST OF THE HEAVIER ACTIVITY IS FURTHER WEST OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF EASTERN COLORADO/WYOMING. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY. A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING WIDESPREAD SNOW ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLE AND WESTERN SAND HILLS THIS MORNING...THEN SPREAD EAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MID EVENING. WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3-5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE /GENERALLY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20/ WITH LOCALIZE AREAS OF 4-7 INCHES UNDER THE HEAVIEST OF SNOW BANDS. BASED OFF THE LATEST SUITE OF MODELS /19.00Z/...THE GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD OCCUR ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 92. IN ADDITION...WIDESPREAD BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WINDS GUST IN EXCESS OF 25-35 MPH THIS AFTERNOON. BASED OFF THE POTENTIAL TRAVEL IMPACTS AND TIMING OF THE HEAVIEST SNOW /AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING/...FELT THAT A NORTHWARD EXTENSION OF THE CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNING/WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WAS NEEDED. WILL NOW CARRY THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE COUNTIES ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80...INCLUDING THE CITY OF NORTH PLATTE AND EXTEND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NORTH A ROW OF COUNTIES TO NOW INCLUDE GRANT EAST INTO WHEELER. MODEL CONSISTENCY IS NOT AS HIGH AS WOULD BE EXPECTED THIS CLOSE TO THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION...SHORT-FUSED ADDITIONS NORTHWARD MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY...ESPECIALLY IF THE GFS/SREF ARE FAVORED. IN CONTRAST...THE EC CAME IN TONIGHT WITH MUCH LESS QPF...BUT HAS THUS FAR GROSSLY UNDERESTIMATED THE ONGOING PRECIPITATION OVER EASTERN WYOMING...SO IS SUSPECT. BUT REGARDLESS...THE SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS AGREE ON THE GENERAL PATTERN IN WHICH THE VIGOROUS UPPER DISTURBANCE RAPIDLY CROSSES THE CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT. INHERITED GRIDS HAD A FAIRLY GOOD HANDLE ON THE OVERALL PROGRESSION OF THE SYSTEM...SO MADE VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CHANGE FROM THE EVENING UPDATE. THE ONLY REAL TWEAKS TO THE FORECAST DEAL WITH QPF AMOUNTS AND TIMING AS THE MODEL CONSENSUS HAS SLOWED SYSTEM SOMEWHAT. CROSS SECTIONS EXTENDING NORTHWEST FROM SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS INTO THE BLACK HILLS REGION OF WYOMING INDICATE AN AREA OF STRONG MID LEVEL FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING CENTERED NEAR KLBF FROM 18-00Z TODAY WITH A WELL DEFINED ERECT AGEOSTROPHIC CIRCULATION INDICATIVE OF BANDED HEAVY SNOWFALL. THIS AREA IS CO- LOCATED WITHIN A SATURATED LAYER AND PLENTIFUL OMEGA WITHIN THE DENDRITIC SNOW GROWTH ZONE...WHICH WILL MAXIMIZE SNOWFALL RATES DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. THE MODELS DO HINT AT SOME CONVECTIVE ENHANCEMENT ACROSS OUR FAR SOUTHEAST AS THERE ARE INDICATIONS OF THETAE FOLDING ALONG THE 312K SURFACE. WEAKLY CONVECTIVE SNOW BANDING MAY OCCUR LEADING TO SOME HIGHER RATES...HOWEVER...THE CURRENT FORECAST GENERALLY FAVORS THE IDEA OF ONE MAIN SNOW BAND CENTERED ALONG/NEAR I80. GIVEN THAT MOST OF THE MODELS ARE KEYING IN ON GREATER MOISTURE AVAILABILITY FOR SNOW PRODUCTION...WENT AHEAD AND ADJUSTED SNOW AMOUNTS UP SLIGHTLY FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. USING A 13:1 SNOW TO LIQUID RATIO...WHICH TRANSITIONS TO 15:1 BY MID AFTERNOON YIELDS WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5-6 INCHES ALONG AND 50 MILES NORTH/SOUTH OF I80 BY MID EVENING WHEN THE SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF. THE SLOWER PROGRESSION SUGGESTED BY THE SREF AND GFS/NAM WOULD SUGGEST AN ADDITIONAL HALF TO AN INCH OF SNOW THIS EVENING...WHICH MAY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED WITH THE 12Z FORECAST. THERE APPEARS TO BE A SHARP CUTOFF IN SNOW AMOUNTS FURTHER NORTH AS DRYING OCCURS...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LESS THAN AN INCH NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20. OTHERWISE DRYING FROM NORTHWEST TO EAST WILL OCCUR LATE THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT...AND WITH A FRESH SNOW PACK...COLD TEMPERATURES WILL BE EXPECTED. UNDERCUT GUIDANCE A FEW DEGREES...WITH LOWS THURSDAY MORNING WELL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS...SAVE FOR FAR NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WHERE CLOUDS MAY LINGER. SUB ZERO READINGS MAY BE POSSIBLE AT KLBF WITH LIGHT NORTHWEST DRAINAGE WINDS...COULD BE THE POTENTIAL FOR GUIDANCE GROSSLY OVERESTIMATING LOWS. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD...KEPT THINGS DRY WITH BELOW GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES. EXTENDED...12Z SATURDAY AND BEYOND. THE EVENING MODEL SUITE HAS TRENDED THE POTENTIAL CHRISTMAS STORM AWAY FROM THE CWA...WILL RETAIN SLIGHT CHANCE POPS...BUT NOT TOO THRILLED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS. OTHERWISE MODEL CONSISTENCY IS SOMEWHAT LOW...THUS HAVE LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE EXTENDED...BUT THE MODELS SOMEWHAT AGREE ON A PRETTY GOOD COLD AIR DUMP INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS EARLY NEXT WEEK. HIGHS MAY STRUGGLE TO REACH THE 20S BY MID WEEK. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CST /8 PM MST/ THIS EVENING FOR NEZ056>059-069>071. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM CST /8 PM MST/ THIS EVENING FOR NEZ022>029-035>038. && SHORT TERM/EXTENDED...JACOBS AVIATION...CLB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 504 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-201130- 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- 504 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012 /404 AM MST WED DEC 19 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A POTENT WINTER STORM WILL TRACK ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TODAY THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATING SNOWS ARE LIKELY ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 2 INCHES IN THE NORTHERN SAND HILLS...UP TO OVER 5 INCHES ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. IN ADDITION TO SNOW...STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND WILL LEAD TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW. TRAVEL MAY BECOME VERY DIFFICULT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2 FROM ANTIOCH TO DUNNING AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 91 FROM DUNNING TO ERICSON. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH LATE THIS EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH COLD TEMPERATURES AROUND ZERO EXPECTED BY THURSDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS ARE REQUESTED TO PHONE IN SNOWFALL REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN NORTH PLATTE. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE CLB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter storm, 5 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
A Cooperative observer near Big Springs reported heavy snow and blowing snow with visibility below a quarter mile at times. Nearby Ogallala AWOS recorded north winds of 35 to 45 mph from the late morning through mid afternoon hours. Storm total snowfall across Deuel County ranged from 3 to 6 inches.
The Ogallala AWOS recorded strong north winds of 35 to 45 mph from late morning through the mid afternoon hours. These strong winds created white out conditions with visibility below a quarter mile at times. Interstate 80 was closed as a result of the winter storm conditions. Storm total snowfall across Keith County ranged from 3 to 6 inches.
Nearby North Platte ASOS recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph from late morning through the afternoon hours. These strong winds created white out conditions with visibility below a quarter mile at times along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. Storm total snowfall across Logan County ranged from 3 to 6 inches.
Winter storm conditions indirectly contributed to the fatality of a male driver on Interstate 80 near North Platte when the vehicle slid into the rear of a semi-truck around 1230 p.m. on December 19, 2012. The accident forced the closure of Interstate 80 for a few hours.
Broken Bow ASOS recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph during the afternoon and early evening hours. These strong winds created white out conditions with visibility below a quarter mile at times along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. Storm total snowfall across Custer County ranged from 4 to 6 inches.
North Platte ASOS recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph with occasional gusts to near 50 mph during the afternoon hours. These strong winds created blizzard conditions with visibility below a quarter mile for at least 3 hours along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. The blizzard conditions caused the closure of Interstate 80. Total snowfall across Lincoln County ranged from 3 to 7 inches.
Nearby Ogallala AWOS and Imperial ASOS recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph with occasional gusts to near 50 mph from late morning through the late afternoon hours. These strong winds created blizzard conditions with visibility below a quarter mile for at least 3 hours along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. Snow drifts to three and a half feet were reported. Total snowfall across Perkins County ranged from 4 to 7 inches.
Imperial ASOS recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph with occasional gusts to near 50 mph from late morning through the late afternoon hours. These strong winds created blizzard conditions with visibility below a quarter mile for at least 3 hours along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. Total snowfall across Chase County ranged from 5 to 7 inches.
Area ASOS machines to include Imperial, North Platte and McCook recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph with occasional gusts to near 50 mph from late morning through the late afternoon hours. These strong winds created blizzard conditions with visibility below a quarter mile for at least 3 hours along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. Total snowfall across Hayes County ranged from 5 to 7 inches.
Nearby McCook and the North Platte ASOS recorded strong north winds of 30 to 40 mph with occasional gusts to near 50 mph during the afternoon and early evening hours. These strong winds created blizzard conditions with visibility below a quarter mile for at least 3 hours along with considerable blowing and drifting snow. Total snowfall across Frontier County ranged from 5 to 7 inches.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, Lincoln | 2012-12-19 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, December 2012
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: 419845, 419846, 419847, 419848, 419849, 419851, 419852, 419853, 419868, 419869.