Mainly between the mid-afternoon and late-evening hours of Friday the 26th, the majority of the 24-county South Central Nebraska area received at least 1-2 of snow, with locations mainly north and northwest of a Johnson Lake-Kearney-Grand Island-Fullerton line realizing the highest totals of 2-4 . m.
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 GID wrote it up.
Mainly between the mid-afternoon and late-evening hours of Friday the 26th, the majority of the 24-county South Central Nebraska area received at least 1-2 of snow, with locations mainly north and northwest of a Johnson Lake-Kearney-Grand Island-Fullerton line realizing the highest totals of 2-4 . In addition, prior to the onset of snow, most counties along and especially east of the Highway 281 corridor experienced a few hours of light freezing drizzle, slickening area roadways and resulting in numerous traffic accidents (the majority of freezing drizzle occurred during the 2-7 p.m. time frame). Getting back to snowfall, some of the highest storm total amounts per a combination of NWS cooperative observers and NeRAIN observers featured 4.0 at St. Paul, 3.5 at Grand Island airport and Ord, 3.1 at Greeley and 3.0 at Ravenna, Belgrade and also four miles east of Scotia. Farther south and east, lower totals prevailed at places such as Hastings NWS office (1.5 ), three miles north of York (1.5 ) and Hebron (1.0 ). Fortunately, blowing and drifting snow was not overly-problematic given that sustained north wind generally averaged around 15 MPH or less with gusts largely under 25 MPH.
Timing-wise, between 3-5 p.m. a broad area of mainly light to moderate snow initially spread north and northeast into South Central Nebraska, first affecting counties mainly along and west of the Highway 281 corridor, while counties farther east started seeing the aforementioned freezing drizzle. During the evening, the broad area of snow expanded to cover nearly all of South Central Nebraska, before gradually tapering off to flurries or ending from west-to-east mainly between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. On the synoptic scale aloft, this event was driven by a lead shortwave trough ejecting northeast into the Central Plains out of the base of a larger-scale, positively-tilted parent trough anchored over the Desert Southwest and Four Corners regions. At the surface, temperatures across South Central Nebraska averaged in the 20s, as the local area resided well to the north of a cold front stretched along an axis from west TX to eastern IA at sunset.
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 Dec 26, 11:30 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1130 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2014
.SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)
ISSUED AT 307 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2014
THE MAIN STORY IS THE LIGHT SNOW EVENT TODAY. MAIN
CHANGE TO WAS ADD A BUFFER ROW OF COUNTIES ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE
OF THE PREVIOUS WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. SNOW AMOUNTS REMAIN
ROUGHLY THE SAME AS PREVIOUS FORECAST.
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE IN THE VICINITY OF
THE 4-CORNERS REGION. THIS FEATURE WILL BE THE MAIN WEATHER MAKER
LATER TODAY. THE FORECAST AREA IS NOW COMPLETELY CLOUDY...THANKS TO
POST FRONTAL LOW STRATUS CLOUDS HAVING SETTLED OVER THE AREA. THERE
HAS BEEN SOME PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE EASTERN SANDHILLS.
NORTH PLATTE RADAR IS A LITTLE LESS INTENSE THIS PAST HOUR WITH ITS
COVERAGE OF THE DRIZZLE AREA. GOOD NEWS. WILL MAKE LAST MINUTE
DECISION ON WHETHER TO MENTION SOME OF THE PRE-DAWN DRIZZLE.
MODELS ARE REASONABLY SIMILAR IN TRENDS WITH THIS EVENT...AND IN
FORECAST PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 0.10" TO 0.25" OR SO.
WITH SNOW RATIOS LIKELY IN THE 15-1 RANGE...A 4" AMOUNT IS NOT OUT
OF THE QUESTION...ALTHOUGH A GENERAL 1-2" OR 2-3" IS MOST LIKELY.
HRRR AND WRF SUGGEST THE FIRST REAL BAND OF ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL
MOVE NORTH INTO THE WESTERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON AND SPREAD NORTHEAST. WITH INCREASING UPPER FORCING...
A MORE BROAD AREA OF LIGHT SNOW WILL ENCOMPASS MOST OF THE AREA
THIS EVENING. WIDESPREAD LIGHT SNOW IS LIKELY THIS EVENING. THE
EVENT IS PRETTY QUICK AND MOVES OUT BY SATURDAY MORNING. NORTH
WINDS ABOUT 20 MPH TODAY WITH HIGHER GUSTS...WILL RESULT IN SOME
BLOWING SNOW BUT IT SHOULDN/T BE EXCESSIVE. WENT AHEAD AND ADDED A
ROW OF COUNTIES TO ADVISORY WHERE SNOW AMOUNTS OF 2-3" ON AVERAGE
MAY FALL. THE CURRENT ADVISORY STRUCTURE LINES UP WELL WITH WFO/S
OMAHA AND NORTH PLATTE.
.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 307 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2014
A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA ON SATURDAY.
THIS WILL HELP TO CLEAR OUT THE SKIES BUT DESPITE THE SUNSHINE
TEMPERATURES ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO REACH THE 20S TO NEAR 30. THE
SURFACE HIGH DRIFTS TO THE SOUTH SATURDAY NIGHT AND COOL
TEMPERATURES REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA. CLOUDS WILL START TO INCREASE
ON SUNDAY AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. WINDS
TURN TOWARD THE WEST WITH SOME WEAK WARM ADVECTION. EXPECT A LITTLE
WARMER TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY. A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE
AREA SUNDAY NIGHT BUT THE COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE AREA ON MONDAY.
CLOUDS CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT.
MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE THAT MOVES INTO
THE AREA. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO THE AREA MONDAY DURING THE
DAY. THE BEST CHANCE LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT WHEN BOTH
THE GFS AND THE ECMWF HAVE PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA. BY TUESDAY
A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM STARTS TO BUILD INTO THE AREA.
PRECIPITATION SHOULD END ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.
THE BEST CHANCE TUESDAY WILL BE IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.
THE SURFACE HIGH FOR TUESDAY WILL USHER IN ARCTIC AIR TO THE AREA
AND TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BE COLD. HIGHS WILL ONLY BE 5 TO
15 DEGREES FOR THE AREA WHILE LOWS DIP TO -7 TO 3 DEGREES. BY
WEDNESDAY THE SURFACE HIGH IS TO THE SOUTH AND MOVING TOWARDS THE
SOUTHEAST. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON THE RISE FOR WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY. NOT A HUGE WARM UP...BUT TEMPERATURES BY THE FIRST OF THE
YEAR WILL BE APPROACHING NORMAL AGAIN.
&&
.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1121 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2014
CONDITIONS ARE ONLY GOING TO DETERIORATE AT THE TAF SITES THROUGH
AT LEAST THE NEXT 6 HOURS BEFORE ANY IMPROVEMENT IS SEEN.
CURRENTLY SITTING AT MVFR CONDITIONS...SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE
INTO THE TAF SITES REDUCING VISIBILITIES AND DECREASING CEILINGS.
EXPECTED IFR CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON...QUICKLY TURNING TO LIFR
CONDITIONS AROUND 00Z WHEN THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED. WE
SHOULD START TO SEE SOME IMPROVEMENT IN FLIGHT CONDITIONS LATER
THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...MVFR WILL LIKELY PERSIST THEREAFTER UNTIL
MID- MORNING SATURDAY WHEN WE START TO CLEAR OUT.
&&
.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR
NEZ039>041-046>048-060>062-072>074-082-083.
KS...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...NOAA/NWS/MORITZ
LONG TERM...JCB
AVIATION...GUERREROHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 312 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2014 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 271200- 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- 312 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS POSTED FOR A PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST OF AN ALMA...TO GRAND ISLAND...TO COLUMBUS LINE. IN THE ADVISORY AREA...SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. OUTSIDE OF THE ADVISORY AREA...ROUGHLY 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED. A STIFF NORTH WIND WILL CAUSE SOME MINOR BLOWING SNOW ISSUES...ALONG WITH REDUCED VISIBILITY. THE SNOW SHOULD END BY SATURDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES MAY BE NEAR 20 BELOW ZERO NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS...THANKS TO AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH THE AREA LATE SUNDAY. .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.
6 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A total snowfall of 3.5 inches occurred at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island.
A snowfall total of 3.1 inches occurred in Greeley (NWS observer), and 3.0 inches occurred 4 miles east of Scotia (NeRAIN observer).
A snowfall total of 4.0 inches occurred in St. Paul.
A snowfall total of 3.0 inches occurred in Ravenna.
A snowfall total of 3.5 inches occurred 9 miles northeast of Palmer, reported from an observer in the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network (NERAIN). Also, a snowfall total of 3.0 inches occurred in Belgrade, reported from an cooperative observer.
A snowfall total of 3.5 inches occurred in Ord.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, December 2014
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: 551271, 551273, 551275, 551276, 551274, 551272.