The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014 across much of western Nebraska. Precipitation was sparse during the month that led to continued Severe Drought (D2) conditions with Extreme Drought (D3) conditions in parts of six counties, the most extensive in Chase County.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014 across much of western Nebraska. Precipitation was sparse during the month that led to continued Severe Drought (D2) conditions with Extreme Drought (D3) conditions in parts of six counties, the most extensive in Chase County. Precipitation ranged from less than a half-inch across the north to local areas up to one inch in the southwest in the form of snowfall.
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 31, 11:23 PM CST, 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 1123 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 330 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 H5 HAND ANALYSIS FROM THIS MORNING HAS A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER SRN HUDSON BAY WITH A LARGE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING SOUTH INTO THE DEEP SOUTH. LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGING EXTENDED UP THE WESTERN PACIFIC INTO THE GULF OF ALASKA...WHILE NWRLY FLOW EXTENDED FROM THE PACIFIC NW STATES AND BRITISH COLUMBIA...SEWD INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND PLAINS STATES. A JET STREAK AT H5...EXTENDED FROM EASTERN SASKATCHEWAN...INTO THE OHIO VALLEY AND CAROLINAS...WHERE IT CURVED NE INTO NEW ENGLAND AND THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. AT THE SURFACE...A WIDE RANGE IN TEMPERATURES WAS PRESENT THIS AFTERNOON AS A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED FROM JUST SOUTH OF VALENTINE...TO AROUND LINCOLN. TEMPERATURES NORTH OF THIS FRONT WERE IN THE TEENS TO AROUND 20...WHILE SOUTH OF THE FRONT...READINGS WERE IN THE 40S...TO EVEN MIDDLE TO UPPER 50S ACROSS FAR SWRN NEBRASKA. SKIES WERE MOSTLY CLEAR WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FAR NORTHERN NEBRASKA...WHERE LOW CLOUDINESS WAS PRESENT ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE ARCTIC AIR. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 330 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WAS EDGING INTO NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON. THE SURFACE HIGH WAS CENTERED OVER MANITOBA AND SASKATCHEWAN AND WITH EASTERLY FLOW ON THE SOUTH EDGE OF THIS AIRMASS...STRATUS MOVED INTO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON CAUSING FALLING TEMPERATURES. TO THE SOUTH OF THE ARCTIC FRONT...A MUCH WARMER AIRMASS WAS IN PLACE AS TEMPERATURES WERE UP IN THE 40S TO UPPER 50S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A WEAK SHORTWAVE NOW OVER WESTERN MONTANA WILL QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHWEST FLOW INTO COLORADO TONIGHT THEN ACROSS KANSAS/OKLAHOMA ON WEDNESDAY. INCREASED LARGE SCALE LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT AS THE COLUMN SATURATES THROUGH THE EVENING. LAPS SOUNDINGS SHOWING KVTN IS GETTING CLOSER TO SATURATION SO WOULD EXPECT TO SEE SNOW FIRST OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA IN THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...WHICH WILL THEN EXPAND SOUTH THROUGH THE EVENING AS THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE APPROACHES. CROSS SECTIONS SHOW TIMING UP ACROSS THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA TO HAVE THE STRONGEST OMEGA AND SATURATION BETWEEN 03Z AND 10Z TONIGHT BEFORE THE MOISTURE BEGINS TO BE SCOURED OUT AND SUBSIDENCE TAKES OVER. FURTHER SOUTH...INTO THE KLBF AREA THERE IS MORE OF A LIMITED WINDOW AS IT TAKES MUCH LONGER TO SATURATE. CROSS SECTIONS SHOW THIS DOESN/T HAPPEN UNTIL AFTER 09Z AND REALLY DON/T HAVE A STRONG CORRELATION WITH THE OMEGA BULLSEYE AND THE MOISTURE. THESE AREAS SHOULD SEE THE SNOW ROUGHLY IN THE 10Z TO 15Z TIME-FRAME. LOOKING AT PROFILES...BELIEVE SNOW TO LIQUID RATIOS WILL BE FAIRLY NORMAL /14:1/...AND POSSIBLY A LITTLE HIGHER UP OVER THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA WHERE THE COLDER AIR AND HIGH MOISTURE INTERSECT THE STRONGEST LIFT. WITH THIS BEING A FAIRLY QUICK HITTER...DON/T EXPECT REAL HIGH AMOUNTS ALTHOUGH MOST LOCATIONS WILL SEE SNOW. DID INCREASE SNOW CHANCES FOR THE ENTIRE AREA...WITH AMOUNTS LOOKING TO BE UP TO AN INCH OR TWO. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL COME TO AN END BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...ALTHOUGH COULD STILL SEE SOME FLURRIES AS IT MAY TAKE A WHILE FOR THE STRATUS TO GET SCOURED OUT. LOOKING FOR A PRETTY CLOUDY DAY AND WITH THE ARCTIC AIRMASS IN PLACE HIGHS WEDNESDAY WILL BE QUITE A BIT COLDER. DO HAVE TEENS TO LOW 20S ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM KVTN TO KBBW...HOWEVER AM CONCERNED THAT IF CLOUDS DO NOT MOVE OUT BY EARLY AFTERNOON THESE MAY BE A BIT TOO WARM AS 850MB TEMPERATURES REMAIN COLDER THAN -10C. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 330 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...FOR THE LATTER PORTION OF THE WEEK...THE MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGE WILL BE TEMPERATURES...WITH A SECONDARY CHALLENGE BEING A SMALL THREAT FOR SNOW WEDS NIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHERN FORECAST AREA. ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...A SECONDARY SHOT OF ARCTIC AIR WILL BACK INTO THE NORTHEASTERN FORECAST AREA...THE LEADING EDGE OF WHICH WILL EXTEND FROM VALENTINE SEWD INTO CUSTER COUNTY BY 00Z THURSDAY. ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MID LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION AND LIFT WILL INCREASE ACROSS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. MOISTURE PROFILES ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA ARE INDICATIVE OF MOISTURE...THOUGH LIMITED...IN THE MID LEVEL DENDRITIC ZONE OVERNIGHT WEDS NIGHT. ONGOING FORECAST HAD A MENTION OF LIGHT SNOW ACROSS A PORTION OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA DURING THE PERIOD. EVEN THOUGH MOISTURE IS LIMITED...MID LEVEL FORCING IS AMPLE ENOUGH TO NOT TAKE THE MENTION OF LIGHT SNOW OUT OF THE FORECAST. ON THURSDAY...A WARM FRONT WILL BEGIN TO PUSH FROM WEST TO EAST ...LEADING TO MUCH WARMER TEMPERATURES IN THE WEST WEDS AFTN THANKS TO LOW LEVEL WESTERLY WINDS. FURTHER EAST...SRLY AND SERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED...WHICH WILL RECYCLE ARCTIC AIR FROM THE SOUTH AND EAST...LEADING TO YET ANOTHER DAY OF BELOW NORMAL HIGHS IN THE NORTHEASTERN FORECAST AREA. TEMPS THURSDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE MID TEENS IN THE FAR NORTHEAST...TO THE MIDDLE 40S IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST. THE BEFORE MENTIONED WARM FRONT...WILL PUSH EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA ON THURSDAY NIGHT WITH A SECONDARY SHOT OF MID LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION LIFTING ACROSS THE EASTERN DAKOTAS AND NERN NEBRASKA. CROSS SECTIONS THROUGH THE NERN CWA THURSDAY NIGHT ARE INDICATING A DECENT DRY CONDS IN THE 10000 TO 12000 FT AGL LAYER. WITH THIS DRY LAYER IN PLACE...DO NOT FEEL CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO INSERT POPS INTO THE FORECAST ATTM. FOR FRIDAY...THE WARM FRONT WILL PUSH EAST INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...LEADING TO WARM TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA FOR FRIDAY. WESTERLY AND SWRLY WINDS ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA...WHICH WILL FACILITATE GOOD DOWN SLOPE MIXING AND HIGHS REACHING THE 40S AND LOWER 50S. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...A TANDEM OF ARCTIC COLD FRONTS WILL TRACK THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST WILL ARRIVE ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND WILL LEAD TO INCREASED CHANCES FOR SNOWFALL ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA INTO SWRN NEBRASKA FOR SATURDAY. MID LEVEL FORCING IS MOST PREVALENT IN THE NORTH FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE THREAT FOR SNOW SHIFTING INTO THE SWRN CWA SATURDAY AS NERLY UPSLOPE WINDS DEVELOP BEHIND THE EXITING COLD FRONT. DECIDED TO KEEP POPS LOW FOR THE FROPA AS THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHERE THE STRONGEST MID LEVEL FORCING DECIDES TO SET UP. THE GFS HAS THE BEST FORCING OVER SRN SD AND NRN NEBR FRIDAY NIGHT...WHILE THE EURO SOLN HAS THE BEST FORCING OVER THE EASTERN DAKOTAS AND MINNESOTA. A SECONDARY SHOT OF EVEN COLDER ARCTIC AIR WILL PUSH INTO THE FORECAST AREA EITHER SUNDAY OR SUNDAY NIGHT. FOR THE MOST PART...THE SECOND FRONT SHOULD BE A DRY FROPA AS ANY MOISTURE WILL BE FORCED EAST AND SOUTH BY THE FRIDAY NIGHT FRONT. HOWEVER...AS THE ARCTIC AIR BACKS INTO THE FORECAST AREA FROM EAST TO WEST...COULDN'T RULE OUT SOME LIGHT SNOW DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THE COLDEST ARCTIC AIR. WITH THIS IN MIND...CONFINED MY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO THE PANHANDLE AND WESTERN AREAS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. ARCTIC AIR WILL BEGIN TO TRACK EAST LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...WHICH WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO MODERATE BACK INTO THE 20S TO 30S. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1119 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 THE AREA OF SNOW ACROSS SD SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE KVTN-KANW-KONL AREA AND EXIT 10Z-13Z. MVFR/IFR CIGS AND VSBY ARE EXPECTED IN THE SNOW WITH LOCAL LIFR POSSIBLE. A SECOND AREA OF SNOW DEVELOPS ACROSS WRN NEB IN A FEW HOURS. THIS AREA OF SNOW IS CURRENTLY ACROSS NERN WY. MVFR/IFR CIGS AND VSBY ARE EXPECTED IN THIS AREA OF SNOW WITH LOCAL LIFR POSSIBLE. THIS AREA OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO EXIT EITHER SWRN OR SCNTL NEB BY 18Z. A THIRD AREA OF SNOW AND MVFR CIGS MAY DEVELOP LATE IN THE AFTERNOON ACROSS NWRN NEB. IF THIS SNOW DEVELOPS AS FCST BY THE MODELS...IT WOULD LIKELY MOVE EAST ALONG AND NEAR HIGHWAY 20 WEDNESDAY EVENING. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...CLB SHORT TERM...BROOKS LONG TERM...CLB AVIATION...CDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 351 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-012200- 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- 351 PM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 /251 PM MST TUE DEC 31 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA THIS EVENING...THEN WILL TRANSITION SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WHICH COULD CAUSE ROADWAYS TO BECOME SLICK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND WILL TAPER OFF TO FLURRIES BY EARLY AFTERNOON. ACCUMULATING SNOW WEDNESDAY MORNING WILL BE LIMITED TO LOCATIONS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM ELLSWORTH TO THEDFORD TO BARTLETT...WITH UP TO AN INCH POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && GET YOUR WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE (ALL LOWERCASE) BROOKS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe and Extreme Drought (D2, D3) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced around a half inch of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe and Extreme Drought (D2, D3) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced around a half inch of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe and Extreme Drought (D2, D3) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) and Extreme Drought (D3) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced around a half inch of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced around a half inch of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe and Extreme Drought (D2, D3) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued through January 2014. Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingered as precipitation in the form of snow produced a half inch or less of moisture in the county. The drought continued into February 2014.
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, January 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: 487742, 487862, 487863, 487866, 487870, 487871, 487875, 487880, 487741, 487858, 487861, 487864, 487865, 487867, 487868, 487879, 487881.