As a strong storm system moved into the southern Plains, warm and moist air moved north across the central and into the northern Plains. This allowed for the development of widespread snowfall, occasionally heavy at times, over northeast Nebraska.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
As a strong storm system moved into the southern Plains, warm and moist air moved north across the central and into the northern Plains. This allowed for the development of widespread snowfall, occasionally heavy at times, over northeast Nebraska. The snowfall started on Christmas evening, lasting through the night and ending early in the morning on the 26th.
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 25, 11:35 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
1135 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015
.SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY)
ISSUED AT 330 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015
TODAY SHOULD NOT BE AS EVENTFUL AS YESTERDAY. THAT WAS AN UNUSUAL
EVENT WITH A FAIRLY NARROW BAND OF HEAVY SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH AN
OPEN WAVE. PLUS IT ONLY LASTED ABOUT 6 HOURS.
MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS ARE SNOW AMOUNTS FOR TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY...
MAINLY ACROSS PARTS OF NERN NE. ALSO HAVE SOME CONCERN FOR MIXED
PCPN OVER THE REST OF THE AREA.
STRONG UPPER TROPOSPHERIC WINDS WERE NOTED FROM OFF THE COAST OF THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST DOWN INTO SRN CA...THEN FROM THERE UP INTO THE
GREAT LAKES REGION. AT 500 MB...A TROUGH WAS OVER THE WRN STATES
WITH SEVERAL COMPACT SHORTWAVES IN THE FLOW. AT 00Z 12 HOUR
HEIGHT FALLS OF AROUND 90 METERS WERE NOTED IN CENTRAL CA.
LIFT WILL INCREASE LATER TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT AS THE TROUGH
OVER THE ROCKIES MOVES EWD...AND A SHORTWAVE MOVES NORTHEAST OVER
PARTS OF THE REGION. LARGE SCALE FORCING WILL CREATE LIFT AND
PCPN FROM PARTS OF WRN NE INTO SRN SD...NERN NE AND POINTS TO THE
NORTHEAST. STRONGEST 700-500 MB QG FORCING OCCURS OVERNIGHT ACROSS
NERN NE AND HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THAT AREA
FROM 6 PM TONIGHT TO 6 PM SATURDAY. PCPN DURING THE DAY SATURDAY
SHOULD BE MUCH LIGHTER...BUT WINDS WILL INCREASE AND CREATE SOME
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. FARTHER SOUTH...LOOK FOR MIXED PCPN
WITH GENERALLY LIGHT AMOUNTS. THERMAL PROFILES ARE NOT STRONGLY
FAVORING ANY ONE PCPN TYPE. DID NOT LINGER ANY MENTION OF PCPN
INTO SATURDAY NIGHT BUT THERE COULD BE SOME FLURRIES OR FREEZING
DRIZZLE. SUNDAY SHOULD BE DRY BUT COLD...WITH HIGHS NEAR 20 ALONG
THE SD BORDER AND AROUND 30 NEAR THE MO BORDER.
.LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 330 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015
THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERNS IN THIS PERIOD ARE PCPN CHANCES FROM
SUNDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY (BUT ESPECIALLY ON MONDAY) AND
TEMPERATURES.
GENERALLY GAVE THE 00Z ECMWF A BIT MORE WEIGHT THAT THE 00Z GFS...
AND THE ECMWF NOW HAS SOME SUPPORT FROM THE NAM. EXPECT PCPN TO
DEVELOP ACROSS THE SRN PARTS OF THE FCST AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT OR
MONDAY. A CLOSED LOW AT 500 MB SHOULD BE NEAR THE OK/TX BORDER
EARLY MONDAY...THEN TRACK NEWD TOWARD SRN IL BY MONDAY EVENING.
00Z GFS REMAINED GENERALLY DRY IN OUR AREA...BUT AGAIN TENDED TO
FAVOR THE WETTER ECMWF A BIT MORE. IT IS TOO SOON TO GET OVERLY
EXCITED...BUT THIS COULD PRODUCE A DECENT AMOUNT OF PCPN FOR IA
AND ERN NE.
TEMPERATURES SHOULD MODERATE SLIGHTLY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...WITH
MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED THOSE TWO DAYS.
&&
.AVIATION...(18Z TAFS FOR KOFK...KLNK AND KOMA.)
ISSUED AT 1131 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015
IFR CONDITIONS AT ALL SITES SHOULD IMPROVE BRIEFLY THIS
AFTERNOON...BEFORE DETERIORATING AGAIN TONIGHT TO IFR OR POSSIBLY
EVEN LIFR CONDITIONS. SNOW IS LIKELY AT KOFK TONIGHT...AND HAVE
TRIED TO NARROW ON A WINDOW OF PEAK INTENSITY...THOUGH IT MAY
SHIFT BY A FEW HOURS IN EITHER DIRECTION. AT KOMA...PRECIPITATION
IS MORE LIKELY TO BE A WINTRY MIX...AND HAVE CONTINUED A RAIN/SNOW
MENTION UNTIL PRECIPITATION TYPE BECOMES MORE CLEAR. AT
KLNK...DRIZZLE OR LIGHT RAIN REMAINS THE MOST LIKELY PRECIPITATION
TYPE PROVIDED TEMPERATURES CAN RISE ABOVE FREEZING.
OTHERWISE...WILL NEED TO BE WARY FOR A LIGHT ICE GLAZING.
&&
.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST
SATURDAY FOR NEZ011-012-016-017.
IA...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...MILLER
LONG TERM...MILLER
AVIATION...MAYESHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 415 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ015-018-030>034-042>045- 050>053-065>068-078-088>093-260015- MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE-THURSTON-WAYNE-BOONE-MADISON-STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE- COLFAX-DODGE-WASHINGTON-BUTLER-SAUNDERS-DOUGLAS-SARPY-SEWARD- LANCASTER-CASS-OTOE-SALINE-JEFFERSON-GAGE-JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE- RICHARDSON- 415 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA...WEST CENTRAL IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A MIXTURE OF LIGHT WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE FROM MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE CHANCES FOR LIGHT MIXED PRECIPITATION FROM SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS MONDAY. THIS COULD BRING ACCUMULATING SNOW TO THE AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AS IT SWINGS TO OUR EAST. THEN ANOTHER SYSTEM MAY BRING MORE LIGHT SNOW TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. NEZ011-012-016-017-260015- KNOX-CEDAR-ANTELOPE-PIERCE- 415 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A MIXTURE OF LIGHT WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY. SNOW CHANCES WILL INCREASE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY STRONG WINDS MAY CAUSE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW SATURDAY... AND THERE WILL STILL BE A CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS MONDAY. THIS COULD BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW FROM MONDAY...AND OTHER WEATHER DISTURBANCES COULD CREATE SOME LIGHT SNOW INTO MID WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
1028 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM HEAVY SNOW 3 SE CEDAR BLUFFS 41.37N 96.57W
12/25/2015 M4.6 INCH SAUNDERS NE AMATEUR RADIO
SNOWFALL 24 HOUR TOTAL...PRECIPITATION 0.47.
0700 AM SNOW 3 E LINWOOD 41.41N 96.87W
12/25/2015 M2.3 INCH SAUNDERS NE AMATEUR RADIO
SNOWFALL 24 HOUR TOTAL...PRECIPITATION 0.28.
0700 AM HEAVY SNOW OMAHA 41.26N 96.01W
12/25/2015 M8.5 INCH DOUGLAS NE NWS EMPLOYEE
OMAHA 106TH AND FORT
&&
J-E.KLISHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall was generally around 6 inches across the county. A measured 6 inches was reported in the city of Norfolk.
Snowfall ranged from 2 to 5 inches across the county. A measured snowfall of 4.5 inches was reported in Neligh, 4 inches at Orchard, 5 inches Oakdale, and 2.4 inches in Elgin.
Snowfall was generally around 6 inches across the county. A measured 6 inches was reported in the city of Pierce.
Snowfall ranged from 4 to 6 inches across the county. Snowfall of 6.1 inches was reported in Bloomfield, 6 at Crofton, and 4 inches in Verdel.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, December 2015
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: 608000, 608001, 607999, 607998.