A strong storm system moved into the central Plains on Saturday morning December 21st. This storm system brought widespread significant ice accumulation to parts of the southern Plains to the upper Mississippi River Valley.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 OAX wrote it up.
A strong storm system moved into the central Plains on Saturday morning December 21st. This storm system brought widespread significant ice accumulation to parts of the southern Plains to the upper Mississippi River Valley. To the north of the icing, a swatch of heavy snow extended from central Kansas northeast to eastern Iowa, include parts of southeast Nebraska. Snow spread into the area late on Saturday afternoon, becoming heavy during the evening, and tapered to flurries by Sunday morning as the storm system moved off to the east.
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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 21, 5:57 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 410 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053- 065>067-078-088-221215- MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-KNOX-CEDAR-THURSTON- ANTELOPE-PIERCE-WAYNE-BOONE-MADISON-STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE- COLFAX-DODGE-WASHINGTON-BUTLER-SAUNDERS-DOUGLAS-SARPY-SEWARD- LANCASTER-CASS-SALINE-JEFFERSON- 410 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA...WEST CENTRAL IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY LIGHT SNOW MAY DEVELOP TONIGHT...MAINLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM COLUMBUS NEBRASKA TO ONAWA IOWA. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 WHERE AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE BY DAYBREAK SUNDAY. WINDS WILL ALSO BECOME NORTH TO NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH WHICH MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES IN OPEN AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY BITTER COLD WIND CHILLS FROM 15 TO 20 BELOW CAN BE EXPECTED MONDAY MORNING IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST IOWA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT OR SUNDAY. IAZ080-090-091-NEZ068-089>093-221215- MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE-OTOE-GAGE-JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE- RICHARDSON- 410 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP VERY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TONIGHT. A PERIOD OF HEAVY SNOW IS LIKELY THIS EVENING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD RANGE FROM 3 TO 7 INCHES BY DAYBREAK SUNDAY. WINDS WILL ALSO BECOME NORTH TO NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH WHICH MAY CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IN OPEN AREAS. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TONIGHT...WITH A WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR RICHARDSON COUNTY. SNOW WILL DIMINISH LATE TONIGHT WITH SOME FLURRIES EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT OR SUNDAY...BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IF POSSIBLE. FOBERT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow, 3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow was observed across Richardson County. Snowfall was generally 6 to 7 inches across the county. Specific snowfall totals included 6 inches 3 west northwest of Humboldt, 6 inches 2 southwest of Shubert, and 6.7 inches 2 southwest of Rulo.
Heavy snow was observed across Pawnee County. Snowfall was generally 6 to 7 inches across the county with a maximum of 7 inches reported in Pawnee City.
Heavy snow was observed across Nemaha County. Snowfall was generally 5 to 7 inches across the county with a maximum of 6.3 inches reported 5 miles east southeast of Auburn.
Snowfall of 3 to 5 inches was observed across the central and east parts of Johnson County including a report of 4.5 inches 1 south of Tecumseh.
Snowfall of 3 to 5 inches was observed across the eastern half of Gage County including a report of 3.7 inches 1 north of Beatrice.
Snowfall of 3 to 5 inches was observed across the central and east parts of Otoe County.
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, December 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: 481144, 481145, 481147, 481154, 481155, 481153.