In the midst of one of the top-10 coldest months of April on record for much of South Central Nebraska, a late-season winter storm brought a widespread 1-4 inches of snow to most counties during a roughly 15-hour period between the late evening of Wednesday the 17th and the early-mid afternoon of Thursday the 18th. Areas west of Highway 281, which saw the greatest coverage of localized 3+ inch…
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 GID wrote it up.
In the midst of one of the top-10 coldest months of April on record for much of South Central Nebraska, a late-season winter storm brought a widespread 1-4 inches of snow to most counties during a roughly 15-hour period between the late evening of Wednesday the 17th and the early-mid afternoon of Thursday the 18th. Areas west of Highway 281, which saw the greatest coverage of localized 3+ inch amounts, observed most accumulating snow during the overnight hours. Meanwhile, for most counties along and east of Highway 281, snow began during the night but peaked in intensity after sunrise before ending or diminishing to flurries during the afternoon. Adding to the mid-April misery were brisk north-northwest winds sustained 20-30 MPH and gusting 35-40 MPH, resulting in occasional visibility restrictions to one-half mile or less and wind chill temperatures between 10-20 degrees. The majority of the 24-county area measured at least 1-2 of snow from this event, except for far southeast counties such as Nuckolls and Thayer that averaged less than 1. According to NWS cooperative observers and NeRAIN observers, 3+ inch amounts primarily focused within the far western counties of Furnas, Dawson and Gosper, including 4 at Wilsonville, 3.5 eight miles south of Elwood and six miles south-southeast of Lexington, and 3 at Beaver City and three miles west of Sumner. However, even farther east, narrow bands of post-sunrise snow pushed Grand Island up to 4, which set a daily record for the 18th and resulted in the largest April snowfall in 10 years. Temperature-wise, daytime highs across South Central Nebraska on the 18th only averaged 33-37 degrees, which was around 30 degrees below normal for the date and established record-cold daily maximums at Grand Island and Hastings.
On the synoptic scale aloft, this event was powered by a highly amplified and slightly positively tilted mid-upper trough slowly lumbering across the Central United States. As a 100+ knot upper level jet streak rounded the base of the trough and took aim on the Central Plains, a mid level low and resultant area of enhanced frontogenesis became increasingly organized at 700 millibars, resulting in widespread snowfall. At mid-morning on the 18th, surface maps revealed that strong north-northwest winds were being promoted by a tight pressure gradient between a still-deepening 1000 millibar low over northeast Missouri and a 1028 millibar high centered over the Wyoming area.
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 Apr 17, 6:20 PM CST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
720 PM CDT WED APR 17 2013
.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 449 PM CDT WED APR 17 2013
AFTERNOON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE AND MOVING EAST. MID LEVEL THERMAL
ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE TROUGH AXIS IS PROMOTING SHOWER AND
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER EASTERN KANSAS AND SOUTHEASTERN
NEBRASKA...WITH SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY IS IMPACTING EXTREME
SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF OUR CWA. A MID LEVEL DRY INTRUSION IS
ALSO NOTED MOVING INTO EASTERN COLORADO AND WESTERN KANSAS.
DATA FROM THE SPC MESO-ANALYSIS PAGE INDICATES NO MORE THAN
500J/KG DEEP LAYER MUCAPE ACROSS OUR SOUTHEAST. THAT BEING SAID
DEEP LAYER SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 70KTS IS ALSO IN EXISTENCE. SO FAR
THIS AFTERNOON NOTHING GREATER THAN DIMES HAS BEEN REPORTED FROM
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY OVER OUR AREA...WITH MOSTLY PEA-SIZE HAIL
BEING REPORTED. GIVEN ALL THIS...WILL GO AHEAD AND OUTLOOK SMALL
HAIL IN THE HWO FOR OUR SOUTHEAST THROUGH THIS EVENING.
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THE MID LEVEL TROUGH
AXIS...CURRENTLY OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE...WILL ADVANCE EAST
TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. MID LEVEL THERMAL ADVECTION MAY CONTINUE
PROMOTING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS OUR SOUTHEAST
THROUGH THIS EVENING...BUT THAT ACTIVITY SHOULD MOVE
EAST/SOUTHEAST OF OUR AREA AS THE MID LEVEL DRY INTRUSION MOVES
IN. MID LEVEL DEFORMATION...TO THE WEST OF THE MID LEVEL TROUGH
AXIS...IS THEN EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS OUR NORTH/NORTHWEST TONIGHT
INTO TOMORROW...THUS PROMOTING FURTHER PRECIPITATION PRODUCTION.
FORECAST PROXIMITY SOUNDINGS...PER THE NAM...OPERATIONAL GFS...AND
EC SUGGEST THE RAIN...AND AT TIMES DRIZZLE...WILL TRANSITION TO
SNOW FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS OUR AREA TONIGHT INTO
TOMORROW...WITH ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL LIKELY TO RESULT. TAKING AN
EVEN AVERAGE OF THE NAM...OPERATIONAL GFS...EC...AND SREF-
MEAN...PROVIDES LIQUID PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS BETWEEN 0.30" AND
0.50" ACROSS MUCH OF OUR AREA. SNOWFALL SHOULD BE REALIZED ACROSS
OUR NORTH/NORTHWEST FIRST. IN ADDITION...AS A RESULT OF THE
DEFORMATION AXIS...SNOWFALL RATES ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE HIGHEST
ACROSS OUR NORTH/NORTHWEST. GIVEN ALL THIS IT STANDS TO REASON
THAT OUR HIGHEST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS
WILL BE REALIZED ACROSS OUR NORTH/NORTHWEST. WITH SURFACE
TEMPERATURES HOVERING NEAR 30 THROUGH THIS EVENT...WILL GO AHEAD
AND ASSUME A 10:1 SNOW-WATER RATIO...WHICH PROVIDES 2-4...LOCALLY
5 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ACROSS OUR NORTH/NORTHWEST THROUGH THURSDAY.
LOWER SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED FARTHER SOUTH/SOUTHEAST
DUE TO THE LOWER SNOWFALL RATES AND SLOWER TRANSITION TIME TO ALL
SNOW. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT MUCH OF THIS SNOWFALL
ACCUMULATION WILL LIKELY BE REALIZED ON GRASSY SURFACES AS THE
WARM SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF AREA ROADWAYS WILL LIKELY MELT MUCH OF
THE SNOW AS IT FALLS.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOWFALL...A STRONG LOW LEVEL PRESSURE GRADIENT
IS ALSO EXPECTED TO OVERTAKE THE AREA TONIGHT...WITH GUIDANCE
SUGGESTING A SUSTAINED NORTH WIND OF 20-25KITS WITH GUSTS TO
AROUND 40KTS. ALTHOUGH THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BE FAIRLY WET AND
NOT ABLE TO BLOW AROUND ONCE ON THE SURFACE...THERE COULD
CERTAINLY STILL BE VISIBILITY RESTRICTION IN BLOWING SNOW AS
FALLING SNOW STILL IN THE AIR MOVES WITHIN THE LOW LEVEL WIND
FIELD.
GIVEN THE AFOREMENTIONED SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION... AND THE
POSSIBILITY FOR PERIODIC VISIBILITY RESTRICTION IN BLOWING
SNOW...OPTED TO KEEP THE CURRENT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY GOING
WITH NO CHANGES. DID CONTEMPLATE EXPANDING IT FARTHER
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST TO ACCOUNT FOR SNOWFALL AND STRONG WIND...BUT THE
SNOWFALL LOOKS NO WHERE AS INTENSE AND MUCH MORE SHORT-
LIVED...THUS THE THREAT SEEMS MUCH MORE LIMITED DOWN THAT WAY.
STILL SOMETHING FOR FUTURE SHIFTS TO MONITOR. ALSO CONTEMPLATED
ISSUING A WIND ADVISORY SOUTHEAST OF THE WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY...BUT AGAIN THE LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD LOOKS MARGINAL WITH
RESPECT WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA AND OPTED TO HOLD OFF FROM THAT
HEADLINE AS WELL. ALSO SOMETHING FOR FUTURE SHIFTS TO MONITOR.
.LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)
ISSUED AT 449 PM CDT WED APR 17 2013
MAIN STORY: A BRIEF TEMP RECOVERY TO NEAR NORMAL THIS WEEKEND BEFORE
ANOTHER BLAST OF UNSEASONABLY CHILLY AIR NEXT WEEK...WITH MORE PCPN
ON THE WAY.
PATTERN: A REX BLOCK CONTINUES OVER THE N-CNTRL PAC PER CPC ANALYSIS
TOOLS. THE LONG-WAVE /LGWV/ FLOW REFLECTS THE -PNA/+NAO WHICH IS A
WRN USA TROF/ERN USA RIDGE. THIS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 6
DAYS...BUT THRU THE END OF THE MONTH...THE ENSEMBLES AND LAG
AVERAGED FCSTS OF THE OPERATIONAL MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A
TRANSITION TO A +PNA/-NAO WHICH WILL REVERSE THE LGWV PATTERN TO A
WRN USA RIDGE/ERN TROF. BELIEVE THIS WILL OCCUR AS THE REX BLOCK
BREAKS DOWN. THE CUT-OFF LOW UNDERNEATH WILL BECOME
PROGRESSIVE...SHOVING THE E PAC RIDGE INTO THE WRN USA. SO FOR THOSE
LOOKING FOR NICER SPRING WX TO RETURN...IT/S COMING...BUT WE STILL
HAVE ONE MORE UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR MASS TO DEAL WITH PROBABLY NEXT
TUE-WED. CONFIDENCE IN THIS SCENARIO IS HIGH DUE TO GOOD MODEL
AGREEMENT AND LOW ENSEMBLE SPREAD.
ALOFT: THE UPPER LOW AND TROF WILL DEPART THE REGION THU NGT WITH NW
FLOW AND SUBSTANTIAL HGT RISES OCCURRING FRI. A SHORT-WAVE /SHRTWV/
TROF MOVES THRU SAT AND BEGINS TO CARVE OUT THE NEXT LGWV TROF WHICH
THEN GETS REINFORCED ONE LAST TIME OVER THE CNTRL USA SUN-WED...
DUMPING ONE LAST SHOT OF UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR ONTO THE PLAINS. THIS
OCCURS AS THE E PAC RIDGE AND SIGNIFICANT HGT RISES MOVE TO THE W
COAST.
HIGH PRES DRIFTS THRU THE PLAINS FRI AND TO THE GREAT LAKES SAT.
MEANWHILE...LOW PRES WILL TRACK ACROSS SRN CANADA. ITS POTENT COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE THRU HERE SUN NGT AND STALL OR SLOW SE OF THE FCST
AREA...UNTIL THE FINAL LOW LIFTS UP THE FRONT TUE. THEN CHILLY HIGH
PRES SETTLES IN.
HAZARDS: DIFFICULT TO PIN DOWN DETAILS THIS FAR IN ADVANCE BUT THERE
COULD BE MULTIPLE THUNDER THREATS EARLY NEXT WEEK...AND POSSIBLY A
PERIOD OF NEAR ADVISORY MATERIAL WINDS. THERE IS ALSO A LOW
PROBABILITY FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR PARTS OF THE FCST AREA...
ESPECIALLY IF IT COINCIDES WITH NIGHTTIME HRS.
UPCOMING PCPN OPPORTUNITIES: MULTIPLE EVENTS OF VARYING MAGNITUDE
SAT-MON. FOR NOW LOOKS LIKE THE NEXT POTENTIALLY MODERATE PCPN
EVENT IS SLATED FOR MON NGT-TUE.
THE DAILY DETAILS...
THU NGT: TRIMMED POPS FURTHER AND NOW THEY/RE LIMITED TO JUST N AND
E OF GRI. BASED ON THE PASSAGE OF THE H7 TROF DURING THE DAY THU...
THE S REALLY SHOULD BE DONE BY SUNSET. FCSTG IS ESSENTIALLY CLEARING
AS UPPER TROF HEADS E.
FRI: DRY AND BREEZY. CROSS SECTIONS SUGGEST M/SUNNY TO START THEN
P/CLOUDY AS STRATOCU DEVELOPS AFTER 11 AM AND VARIABLE MID-HIGH
CLOUDS ARRIVE IN THE AFTN. HIGH TEMPS HAVE BEEN INCREASED 3-6F.
FRI NGT-SAT: UNCERTAINTY. A BURST OF WAA WILL OCCUR IN ADVANCE OF
THE SHRTWV TROF. MSTR WILL BE MODEST AS THE CURRENT SYSTEM WILL
SWEEP ALL THE RICH MSTR AWAY.
SAT: PREVIOUS FCST WAS DRY BUT IT NOW HAS LOW POPS FOR A FEW
LIGHT SHWRS ALONG AND N OF I-80...WHICH COULD JUST END UP AS JUST
SOME SPRINKLES.
HIGH TEMPS WERE RAISED 3-6F.
MODELS: THE 00Z EC WAS PHASED AND WOUND-UP NEXT TUE-WED...WITH A 994
MB LOW HEADED TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES. NOT BUYING THIS FOR NOW AS THE
PAST COUPLE RUNS OF THE GFS/GEM/UKMET AND EVEN THE 12Z/16 EC HAVE A
STRUNG OUT SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE WEAK LOWS LIFTING ALONG THE FRONT.
THE 12Z EC CAME IN AND JOINED THE PACK.
SUN-TUE: MSTR RETURN IS THE MAIN QUESTION AS TO HOW THIS EVOLVES.
THE GFS IS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE. THE EC DOESNT LOOK AGGRESSIVE ENUF.
THIS INCLUDE POTENCY OF ANY TSTMS. AS WITH THIS SYSTEM AND THE ONE
BACK ON APR 8-9...ANY TSTMS WILL BE ELEVATED.
THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THIS COLD AIR MASS MAY HEAD MUCH FURTHER
S /TO NEAR THE RED RVR/ MON NGT. THIS WOULD TAKE ANY ACCUMULATION
SNOW THREAT FURTHER S. UNTIL TODAY/S 12Z EC CYCLE...THE PREVIOUS 4
RUNS SUGGESTED SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW N AND W OF THE TRI-CITIES. NOT
SURE IF THE 12Z EC IS A TREND OR NOT.
MON-TUE: H8 TEMPS ARE FCST 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS BELOW NORMAL! GFS
ENSEMBLE MEAN HAS -4C DOWN TO THE NEB-KS BORDER AND THE 00Z EC
ENSEMBLE MEAN IS COLDER. FOR WHAT IT/S WORTH THE CONSENSUS OF ALL 2M
MODEL HIGH TEMPS SUGGESTS WE COULD BREAK THE RECORD FOR THE COLDEST
APR 23RD HIGH TEMP.
TEMPS: BELIEVE OUR DAYTIME TEMPS ARE PROBABLY 5-10F TOO WARM MON-WED.
&&
.AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY EVENING)
ISSUED AT 708 PM CDT WED APR 17 2013
THIS IS A RATHER COMPLEX AVIATION FORECAST AND PILOTS SHOULD BE
READY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF IFR AND LIFR VISIBILITY AND
CEILING CONDITIONS. THE COLD SIDE OF THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL
QUICKLY ADVANCE UPON US THIS EVENING WITH SNOW DEVELOPING BY LATE
EVENING. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING
HOURS AND SHOULD BEGIN TO LIGHTEN UP BY LATE MORNING.
HOWEVER...STRONG NORTH NORTHWEST WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE
SNOW AND THE STRONG WINDS WILL LAST WELL AFTER THE SNOW HAS ENDED.
THESE STRONG WINDS WILL RESULT IN BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED
VISIBILITIES...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MORNING HOURS. STORM TOTAL
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 2-4 INCH RANGE AT
KGRI AND A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. THE HEAVIEST SNOW
AT KGRI SHOULD FALL BETWEEN 11PM AND 10 AM.
&&
.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 7 PM CDT
THURSDAY FOR NEZ041-047>049-062>064-073>075-082-083.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR NEZ039-040-
046-060-061-072.
KS...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...BRYANT
LONG TERM...HALBLAUB
AVIATION...WESELYHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 1122 PM CDT WED APR 17 2013 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 181200- PHILLIPS-SMITH-JEWELL-ROOKS-OSBORNE-MITCHELL-VALLEY-GREELEY-NANCE- SHERMAN-HOWARD-MERRICK-POLK-DAWSON-BUFFALO-HALL-HAMILTON-YORK- GOSPER-PHELPS-KEARNEY-ADAMS-CLAY-FILLMORE-FURNAS-HARLAN-FRANKLIN- WEBSTER-NUCKOLLS-THAYER- 1122 PM CDT WED APR 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT PRIMARILY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM YORK NEBRASKA TO PHILLIPSBURG KANSAS. ALTHOUGH SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE...SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. RAIN AND DRIZZLE WILL TRANSITION TO SLEET AND SNOWFALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TONIGHT...WITH ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL EXPECTED. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOWFALL...A STRONG NORTH WIND WILL AVERAGE 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUST TO 45 MPH. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW AND SLEET...IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY PRODUCT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A STRONG NORTH WIND AND ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THURSDAY MORNING AND PERHAPS INTO THURSDAY AFTERNOON. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW OR SLEET...REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK THURSDAY. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY PRODUCT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...THERE ARE ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE)
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A total of 3.5 inches of snow fell 8 miles south of Elwood.
A total of 3.5 inches of snow fell 6 miles south-southeast of Lexington, at the Canaday plant.
A total of 2.8 inches of snow fell 1 mile east of Cambridge.
A total of 4.0 inches of snow fell 10 miles north northeast of Arapahoe. This report was from an NERAIN observer.
A total of 4.0 inches of snow fell in Grand Island.
A total of 3.0 inches of snow fell in Beaver City.
A total of 4.0 inches of snow fell in Wilsonville.
A total of 3.0 inches of snow fell 1 mile east of Lexington. This report was from an NERAIN observer.
A total of 3.2 inches of snow fell 7 miles east of Cozad. This report was from an NERAIN observer.
A total of 3.0 inches of snow fell 3 miles west of Sumner. This report was from an NERAIN observer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, April 2013
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: 448248, 448249, 448250, 448254, 449449, 449452, 449453, 449454, 449455, 449456.