Light to moderate snow fell in extreme northeast Nebraska from the evening of January 7th to the afternoon of January 8th. Accumulations of 2 to 5 inches were reported in part of Dakota County.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 FSD wrote it up.
Light to moderate snow fell in extreme northeast Nebraska from the evening of January 7th to the afternoon of January 8th. Accumulations of 2 to 5 inches were reported in part of Dakota County. Winds were light at the start of the snowfall, then increased to 10 to 20 mph on January 8th.
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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 5:35 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 535 PM CST THU JAN 7 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 255 PM CST THU JAN 7 2016 FOG AND SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE AND DRIZZLE WILL CONTINUE TO THE ADVENT OF PRECIPITATION TONIGHT...WHICH COULD MEAN MOST OF THE NIGHT NORTHWEST. THE REMAINING DENSE FOG SOUTHEAST SHOULD ABATE ABOVE ADVISORY CRITERIA...NOT TO MENTION THE INCREASE IN PRECIPITATION THIS EVENING...WITH THE CHANGE OF LOW LEVEL FLOW TO NORTHEAST/NORTH BEHIND THE INVERTED TROUGH AND THE INCREASE IN CLOUD THICKNESS ABOVE. PRECIPITATION WAS BEGINNING TO ENTER THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...HAVING SPREAD UP RAPIDLY FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST. SHORT TERM MODELS HAVE CONSISTENTLY BEEN SLOWING THE SPREAD TO THE NORTHWEST FROM HERE ON...WHICH MAKES SENSE WITH THE UPPER LOW BECOMING ELONGATED AS THE ACTUAL CENTER PASSES WELL TO THE SOUTH. PRECIPITATION WILL START AS AN ASSORTMENT OF RAIN AND SNOW FAR SOUTHEAST...OTHERWISE SHOULD GENERALLY BE SNOW LATER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. MODELS COOL TEMPERATURES ALOFT MARGINALLY FAR SOUTHEAST BUT THINK THE COOLING WILL BE A LITTLE GREATER THERE WITH THE DECENT PRECIPITATION. PERIODS OF MODERATE SNOW ARE EXPECTED SOUTHEAST TONIGHT WITH AN INCH AND A HALF TO TWO INCHES IN MOST OF NORTHWEST IOWA AND THE SOUTHEAST PART OF OUR SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AREA. AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD TO THE NORTHWEST WITH ACCUMULATIONS THERE LESS THAN ONE INCH. THE SNOW WILL SLOWLY DECREASE TO THE EAST FRIDAY WITH A DECREASE IN INTENSITY EVEN EAST. ACCUMULATIONS NEAR 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF NORTHWEST IOWA...AGAIN RANGING DOWN TO LESS THAN AN INCH NORTHWEST. TEMPERATURES WILL DO LITTLE CHANGING ASIDE FROM SOME COOLING WITH PRECIPITATION...UNTIL MORE GENERAL COOLING STARTS SLOWLY FROM THE NORTHWEST AND PROCEEDS SOUTHEAST THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGHS FRIDAY WILL BE IN THE MID 20S NORTHWEST TO LOWER 30S SOUTHEAST. WINDS WILL SWING AROUND TO THE NORTHEAST AND NORTH TONIGHT...THEN SLOWLY PICK UP TO THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE FRIDAY FROM THE NORTH/NORTHWEST. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 255 PM CST THU JAN 7 2016 LIGHT SNOW WILL LINGER ACROSS OUR SOUTH THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE TAPERING OFF FROM THE NORTH LATE AS DRIER AIR WORKS INTO THE REGION. ANY ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION LOOKS VERY LIGHT AT ONLY A COUPLE OF TENTHS. MORE SIGNIFICANT WILL BE FALLING TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY. AS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER THE WESTERN HUDSON BAY AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES SOUTHWARD INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS...COLDER AIR WILL BE DRIVEN INTO OUR AREA WITH TEMPERATURES BY MID MORNING ON SATURDAY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA...WITH LITTLE RECOVERY DURING THE DAY. WITH NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH ACROSS THE AREA...WIND CHILLS WILL FALL INTO THE RANGE OF 10 TO 15 BELOW ZERO BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE COLDER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO SETTLE INTO THE REGION FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. WITH NEW SNOW COVER ACROSS THE AREA AND SKIES CLEARING OUT ON SATURDAY NIGHT...LOWS WILL DROP TO AROUND 5 BELOW TO 10 BELOW ZERO. NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BLOW AT 10 TO 15 MPH OVERNIGHT...WITH WINDS CHILLS OF 20 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. SUNDAY STILL GENERALLY LOOKING TO BE THE COLDEST DAY DURING THIS COLD SPELL...WITH HIGHS TOPPING OUT JUST ABOVE ZERO EAST TO AROUND 10 ABOVE THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL SD. WILL BEGIN TO SEE SOME MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY AS THE SURFACE RIDGE SLIDES OFF TO THE EAST...WITH HIGHS UP INTO THE 20S THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL SD TO TEENS ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE AREA. MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT ON DROPPING A SHORTWAVE THROUGH THE REGION ON MONDAY NIGHT...AND WHILE THERE ARE SOME HINTS THAT THERE COULD BE SOME LIGHT SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM...WITH MODEL DIFFERENCES REMAINED DRY FOR THAT PERIOD. COLDER WILL FILTER INTO THE REGION BEHIND THIS SYSTEM...WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING BACK INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS FOR HIGHS ON TUESDAY. MODELS STILL TRENDING TOWARD MODERATING TEMPERATURES FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS A WESTERN CONUS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SHIFTS EASTWARD. EVEN SO...READINGS LOOK TO BE BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 532 PM CST THU JAN 7 2016 LINGERING FOG AND THE EVENTUAL ARRIVAL OF SNOW INTO THE TERMINALS ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS FOR THIS TAF CYCLE. EXPECTATIONS OF IFR/LIFR CEILINGS/VISIBILITY INTO THE EVENINGS CONTINUES. SNOW WILL ARRIVE INTO SUX BY 8PM...AND WILL BE SLOWLY TO ARRIVE IN SIOUX FALLS...POTENTIALLY CLOSER TO 10 PM. IN HON...SOME UNCERTAINTY ON HOW FAR NORTHWEST THE PRIMARY BAND OF SNOW WILL REDEVELOP...AND ITS POSSIBLE CONDITIONS MAY NOT BE AS LOW AS CURRENTLY FORECAST. SNOW WILL CONTINUE ON AND OFF THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. RATHER SLOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED AS ALL AIRPORTS...WITH AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1 AND 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. WINDS WILL TURN NORTHWEST BY MID-DAY...AND COULD LEAD TO PERIODS OF BLOWING SNOW. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM... LONG TERM...JM AVIATION...DUX
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 318 PM CST THU JAN 7 2016 IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-082130- LYON IA-OSCEOLA-DICKINSON-SIOUX-O'BRIEN-CLAY IA-PLYMOUTH-CHEROKEE- BUENA VISTA-WOODBURY-IDA-LINCOLN MN-LYON MN-MURRAY-COTTONWOOD- NOBLES-JACKSON-PIPESTONE-ROCK-DIXON-DAKOTA-BEADLE-KINGSBURY- BROOKINGS-GREGORY-JERAULD-SANBORN-MINER-LAKE-MOODY-BRULE-AURORA- DAVISON-HANSON-MCCOOK-MINNEHAHA-CHARLES MIX-DOUGLAS-HUTCHINSON- TURNER-LINCOLN SD-BON HOMME-YANKTON-CLAY SD-UNION- 318 PM CST THU JAN 7 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST IOWA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AREAS OF DRIZZLE...FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FOG WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WILL RANGE FROM HALF AN INCH IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...TO 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS FAR SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AN ADDITIONAL HALF AN INCH TO AN INCH OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED TO FALL ACROSS THE REGION ON FRIDAY. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY CREATING PATCHY BLOWING SNOW. AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL ARRIVE FOR THE WEEKEND BRINGING THE COLDEST AIR OF THE WINTER SEASON THUS FAR. WIND CHILLS DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MAY REMAIN AS COLD AS 15 BELOW ZERO. SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING WIND CHILLS MAY DROP TO 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow accumulated 2 to 5 inches, including 3.5 inches near Dakota City.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, January 2016
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: 615055.