Nebraska, 2016

Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Nebraska, March 23 to 24, 2016

March 23 to 24, 2016 · NWS GID · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Strong winds, snow and blowing snow occurred on this Wednesday. Evolution of precipitation associated with this system was complex.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$15,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.

Strong winds, snow and blowing snow occurred on this Wednesday. Evolution of precipitation associated with this system was complex. Through the morning hours, a long, skinny band of frontogenetic/WAA precipitation formed and was oriented west-east from the Great Lakes westward across Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, then southwest across the Nebraska panhandle into eastern Colorado. This band was north of the polar front and its western fringe wrapped cyclonically around the northern and western periphery of a developing upper-level low. This system entrained significant dry air in the mid-upper levels. So, precipitation in the warm sector was initially non-existent. It wasn't until mid-late afternoon that a comma-shaped band of scattered showers and a few embedded thunderstorms developed within and in the eastern semi-circle of the vorticity maximum over Kansas and Nebraska. Around 4 p.m., a storm over northern Hamilton county produced half inch hail near Hordville. This storm occurred on the cool side of the front, with temperatures in the middle 30s. The initial band of showers and storms quickly exited south central Nebraska by late afternoon. The small area of lingering rain in the center of the upper-level low (primarily over Buffalo, Hall, Kearney, Adams, Franklin, and Webster counties) changed to snow by early evening, and thunder was associated with it. Two to 5 inches of snow fell in these areas. As the low moved to the east during the night, the deformation band north and west of the low finally moved into and across south central Nebraska with a gradually diminishing trend. The band remained very skinny. Some of the initial showers that developed in the afternoon rotated to the northwest across Greeley and Valley counties, merging with the deformation band over the Sandhills. This, combined with the band moving through during the night, resulted in snowfall persisting along enough for a small area of 4 to 5 inches of accumulation over much these counties. There were a couple spots that received as much as 8 inches, including Ord. This was the highest amount associated with this storm. Across the rest of south central Nebraska, snowfall amounts were under 2 inches. There was a lot of wind with this system. Northeast winds were sustained between 30 and 40 mph for much of the day, with widespread gusts generally between 45 and 55 mph. There were a couple locations that had higher gusts, with 61 mph recorded at Evelyn Sharp Airport in Ord. These windy conditions did result in some wind damage in a couple locations, with a metal roof blown off a saloon in Giltner and a tree that fell onto a house in Arcadia.

A polar cold front dropped into Nebraska on Tuesday the 22nd and became stationary across northern Kansas on the 23rd. Lee cyclogenesis occurred over Colorado, with a strong 990 mb surface low heading east-northeast along the front. By 9 p.m., this low was over the Kansas City area. It continued advancing through northern Missouri during the night. In the upper levels, split flow was over North America. A moderate amplitude shortwave trough was advancing through the western U.S., with a broad ridge in the East. Confluent flow extended from the Northern Plains into the Great Lakes. As cyclogenesis occurred, a closed mid-level low formed briefly over Nebraska and Kansas, before opening back up into a trough by daybreak on the 24th.

What forecasters said that day

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 Mar 23, 2:21 PM CST, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 23, 2:21 PM CST, 39 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
321 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY DAYTIME)
ISSUED AT 321 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

FOCUS IS ON THE WINTER STORM SYSTEM TRACKING ACROSS THE PLAINS
TODAY/THIS EVENING. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY PLACED THE CENTER OF THE
UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN WESTERN KANSAS AROUND MID DAY WITH THE
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW NEAR KHYS. SURFACE COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS
FAIRLY STATIONARY ATTM FROM JUST SOUTH OF KJYR TO KHLC. POST FRONTAL
TEMPS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY STEADY OR FALLING TODAY WHILE AHEAD OF THE
FRONT IN GOOD INSOLATION TEMPS HAVE REACHED THE 70S. MONITORING THE
WARM SECTOR AREA FOR CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THIS AFTN AND EVENING AND
IF STORMS DEVELOP CANNOT RULE OUT THE POTENTIAL FOR SMALL HAIL.
INSTABILITY IS ALSO PRESENT FARTHER WEST BEHIND THE FRONT AND
LIGHTNING HAS BEEN COMMON ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN NEBRASKA WITH
SNOW/SLEET/GRAUPEL FALLING AND COULD SEE THIS MOVING INTO OUR
WESTERN COUNTIES THIS EVENING.

AS WE HEAD INTO THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT TAKE NOTE THAT THE
PROGRESSION OF THE WINTER STORM SYSTEM HAS SLOWED...WITH THE BRUNT
OF THE PRECIPITATION MOVING IN AND FALLING DURING THE EVENING/FIRST
PART OF THE NIGHT BEFORE ENDING BY DAYBREAK THURS. AT THE ONSET PCPN
TYPE WILL BE LIQUID AS DRIZZLE/RAIN BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO SNOW AS
COLDER AIR ADVECTS SOUTH. OUR WESTERN CWA SHOULD SEE A TRANSITION TO
SNOW TOWARD 00Z WITH THE SNOW LINE GRADUALLY SHIFTING SOUTHEAST THIS
EVENING/OVERNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE TRICKY AS TEMPS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 30S WHILE PCPN IS FALLING AND GROUND TEMPS ARE
WARM...AND ULTIMATELY THE GREATER ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE IN SNOW
BANDS. MODELS ARE FAIRLY CONSISTENT THAT THE MAIN SNOW BAND WILL SET
UP ACROSS OUR NW CWA INITIALLY AND SHIFT EAST OVERNIGHT WITH THE
NORTHERN PORTION OF CWA EXPECTED TO SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR THE
GREATER SNOW AMOUNTS. GENERALLY EXPECT AMOUNTS TO RANGE FROM 1 TO 4
INCHES BUT CANNOT RULE OUT LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IF THE SNOW BAND
IS MORE STATIONARY/NOT PROGRESSIVE. ADJUSTMENTS TO HEADLINES WERE
MADE EARLIER TO DELAY THE TIMING OF THE ONSET OF THE WINTRY WEATHER
AND HARD TO ADJUST HEADLINES ANY FURTHER ATTM AS PCPN HAS YET TO
MOVE IN AND WILL NEED TO MONITOR HOW SYSTEM EVOLVES THRU THE EVENING.

WINDS ARE THE NEXT CONCERN INTO THE NIGHT. WINDS HAVE BEEN STRONG
ALL DAY WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...AND A RECENT GUST OF 56 MPH AT
KRSL THIS AFTN. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN STRONG THRU THE EVENING
IN A STILL TIGHT PRESSURE AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS EAST INTO NORTHERN
MO. PRESSURE RISES ARE IMPRESSIVE THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHERN KS
AND WIND GUSTS NEAR OR ABOVE 50 MPH REMAIN POSSIBLE AND THE HIGH
WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE STRONG WINDS.

PRECIPITATION ENDS W/E TONIGHT AS THE SYSTEM PULLS OUT. WIND SPEEDS
WILL REMAIN STEADY/GUSTY THROUGH THE NIGHT BUT WILL GRADUALLY
DECREASE HEADING INTO THURSDAY AS THE GRADIENT RELAXES. OVERNIGHT
TEMPS WILL BE COLD...FALLING BELOW FREEZING. SUNSHINE IS EXPECTED
THURSDAY BUT KEPT TEMPS ON THE COLD SIDE ESPECIALLY FOR OUR NORTHERN
ZONES WHERE SNOW COVER IS EXPECTED.

.MID TERM...(THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY DAYTIME)
ISSUED AT 321 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

SUMMARIZING THIS 48-HOUR "MID TERM" PERIOD: ALTHOUGH NOT NEARLY AS
ACTIVE AS THE SHORT TERM WEATHER DESCRIBED ABOVE...THESE PERIODS ARE
NOT EXACTLY QUIET EITHER...AS THERE ARE SOME LOW-CONFIDENCE/"PESKY"
PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO CONTEND WITH...POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS FRIDAY
DAYTIME...BUT MORE SO FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY AND GENERALLY
FAVORING THE SOUTHERN CWA MORE THAN THE NORTHERN COUNTIES.
FORTUNATELY...BARRING SOME FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES...THERE DOES
NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY "HIGH IMPACT" WEATHER DURING THIS TIME
FRAME...WITH MOST OF THESE STILL-LOW PRECIPITATION CHANCES FAVORING
RAIN MORE THAN SNOW VERSUS SNOW. THAT BEING SAID...IF HIGH
TEMPERATURES FOR SATURDAY CONTINUE TO TREND DOWN MUCH
MORE...ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE CWA COULD POSSIBLY
SEE SOME SOME MINIMAL SNOW ACCUMULATION...SO THIS WILL NEED WATCHED.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT SATURDAY IS TRENDING RATHER BREEZY/WINDY OUT
OF THE NORTH...ALBEIT NORTHING AS STRONG AS WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING
WITH THIS CURRENT SYSTEM.

FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS FRIDAY?: TECHNICALLY SPEAKING...A FEW OF OUR
EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES (OSBORNE/MITCHELL) ARE NOW FORECASTED
TO HIT "NEAR-CRITICAL" THRESHOLDS OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY (RH)/WIND
GUSTS ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON...AS RH VALUES DROP TO AROUND 25 PERCENT
AND SOUTHERLY WIND GUST TO 20+ MPH. HOWEVER...AT LEAST FOR NOW...WE
APPEAR "SAFE" FROM CRITICAL THRESHOLDS THAT MIGHT REQUIRE HEADLINE
ISSUANCE. CONSIDERED ADDING THIS VERY LIMITED "NEAR-CRITICAL" AREA
TO THE LATEST HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK PRODUCT (HWOGID)...BUT GIVEN
THIS IS STILL 2 DAYS AWAY...IT'S MARGINAL...AND COULD BE MITIGATED
SOMEWHAT BY ANY MEANINGFUL PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS DURING THESE
NEXT 24 HOURS...OPTED TO LEAVE IT OUT FOR NOW AND DEFER TO LATER
SHIFTS TO EVALUATE. AS FOR SATURDAY...ALTHOUGH THERE IS PLENTY OF
WIND...COOLER TEMPS WILL KEEP RH VALUES WELL-ABOVE EVEN "NEAR-
CRITICAL" THRESHOLDS.

WILL NOW TAKE A LOOK AT EACH OF THESE 4 FORECAST PERIODS IN MORE
DETAIL:

THURSDAY EVENING/NIGHT: MAINTAINED A DRY FORECAST HERE...ALTHOUGH DO
EXPECT SKIES TO GENERALLY TREND FROM MOSTLY CLEAR TO PARTLY/MOSTLY
CLOUDY AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON. IN THE MID-UPPER LEVELS...A VERY
FLEETING/BRIEF PERIOD OF SHORTWAVE RIDGING IS EVIDENT JUST AHEAD OF
THE NEXT...FAIRLY LOW-AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHING THE
CENTRAL PLAINS FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. AT THE SURFACE...BREEZES
START OUT THE EVENING LIGHT AND SOMEWHAT VARIABLE AS A BRIEF PERIOD
OF RIDGING PASSES BY...BUT LATER IN THE NIGHT A STEADIER 5-15 MPH
SOUTHERLY BREEZE WILL BECOME ESTABLISHED. AS A RESULT OF THE
EXPECTED CHANGES IN SKY COVER/WIND SPEEDS DURING THE NIGHT...LOW
TEMPS MAY VERY WELL OCCUR CLOSER TO MIDNIGHT THAN SUNRISE...WITH
SOME SLIGHT RISES POSSIBLE LATE IN THE NIGHT. CHANGED THESE LOWS
VERY LITTLE...STILL AIMING MOST AREAS INTO THE 28-32 RANGE.

FRIDAY DAYTIME: CONTEMPLATED "RUINING" THE GOING DRY FORECAST BY AT
LEAST ADDING A GENERIC "SLIGHT CHANCE OF SPRINKLES" TO AT LEAST
PORTIONS OF THE CWA...BUT WITH THE LOWEST LEVELS REMAINING FAIRLY
MOISTURE-STARVED...FEEL THAT MOST OF THE POSSIBLE PRECIP ON FRIDAY
WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH THE GROUND. AS A RESULT...KEPT SKY COVER IN
PARTLY-MOSTLY CLOUDY TERRITORY...BUT KEPT IT DRY FOR NOW...ALTHOUGH
NEXT FEW SHIFTS MAY AT LEAST HAVE TO CONSIDER SPRINKLES IF NOT A
SMALL CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN SHOWERS. IN THE MID-UPPER
LEVELS...THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE AFFECTS MAINLY
SD/NORTHERN NEB DURING THE DAY...BUT THERE COULD BE JUST ENOUGH LIFT
FOR SOME SPOTTY PRECIP LOCALLY. AT THE SURFACE...A FAIRLY WEAK
FRONT/TROUGH WILL PASS INTO THE CWA OVER THE COURSE OF THE
DAY...TURNING WINDS FROM SOUTHERLY TO MORE WESTERLY AND EVEN
NORTHWESTERLY WITH TIME. ROUGHLY THE SOUTHEASTERN ONE-THIRD OF THE
CWA IS MOST LIKELY TO SEE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS
AROUND 25 MPH...WITH SPEEDS AT LEAST SLIGHTLY LESS FARTHER TO THE
NORTHWEST. GIVEN THE EXPECTATION OF DECENT CLOUD COVER
OVERALL...NUDGED DOWN HIGH TEMPS 1-2 DEGREES...AIMING FOR A RANGE
FROM MID-50S FAR NORTH TO MID-60S FAR SOUTH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE CWA WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE
STRUGGLING TO SEE MUCH PRECIPITATION...MAINTAINED LOW-CONFIDENCE 20-
30 PERCENT RAIN CHANCES FOR ROUGHLY THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE
CWA...WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SPRINKLES OR EVEN A FEW
LATE-NIGHT FLURRIES IN NORTHERN ZONES. IN THE MID-UPPER
LEVELS...SOME ADDITIONAL ENERGY MOVES IN FROM THE WEST-SOUTHWEST OUT
AHEAD OF A PRIMARY SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING SOUTHEAST INTO THE
CENTRAL ROCKIES. WHILE MOST MODELS DOWNPLAY RAIN POTENTIAL DURING
THE NIGHT...THE 12Z NAM IS A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH RAIN SHOWER
(POSSIBLY WEAK THUNDERSTORM?) ACTIVITY IN SOUTHERN ZONES THROUGH THE
NIGHT...AND HENCE THE SLIGHTLY HIGHER PRECIP CHANCES HERE. AT THE
SURFACE...THE NET EFFECT OF THE UPPER DISTURBANCES TO BOTH THE NORTH
AND WEST WILL BE TO DRIVE A FAIRLY STRONG COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD
THROUGH THE CWA...WITH NORTH WINDS PICKING UP TO AROUND 20+ MPH IN
MOST AREAS BETWEEN MIDNIGHT-SUNRISE. DESPITE COLD AIR
ADVECTION...THESE WINDS SHOULD KEEP TEMPS FROM DROPPING TOO
FAR...AND ACTUALLY NUDGED UP LOWS VERY SLIGHTLY INTO GENERALLY THE
30-36 RANGE MOST PLACES.

SATURDAY DAYTIME: AS EARLIER MENTIONED...THIS CONTINUES TRENDING
TOWARD BEING A NOT-SO-PLEASANT DAY...WITH DECENT NORTH WINDS
SUSTAINED UP AROUND 20-25 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BECAUSE MID-UPPER
FORCING LARGELY "SPLITS AROUND" THE CWA...PRECIPITATION CHANCES
REMAIN FAIRLY LOW...RANGING FROM NON-MENTIONABLE (BELOW 15 PERCENT)
IN THE FAR NORTHERN CWA...TO AROUND 30 PERCENT IN SOUTHERN ZONES. IN
FACT...MODELS SUCH AS THE ECMWF/GFS ARE ESSENTIALLY DRY CWA-WIDE.
HOWEVER...THE NAM IS MORE INSISTENT ON A BAND OF RAIN/POSSIBLY WET
SNOW AFFECTING SOUTHERN ZONES DURING THE AFTERNOON...SO HENCE THE
CONTINUED LOW PRECIP CHANCES. NUDGED DOWN HIGHS ABOUT 2
DEGREES...NOW RANGING FROM NEAR-40 FAR NORTH TO MID-UPPER 40S SOUTH.

.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)
ISSUED AT 320 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

THIS SECTION FOCUSES ONLY ON THE "LONG TERM" PERIOD (DAYS 4-7) FOR
WHICH THE FORECAST IS PRIMARILY DERIVED FROM A DEFAULT MULTI-MODEL
BLEND WITH ONLY LIMITED MODIFICATION BY THE FORECASTER:

SUMMARIZING THIS 4-DAY PERIOD: GENERALLY SPEAKING...THINGS START OUT
WITH FAIRLY HIGH CONFIDENCE IN DRY AND SEASONABLE CONDITIONS (EXCEPT
FOR MAYBE SOME RAIN AND/OR SNOW RIGHT AWAY SATURDAY NIGHT IN
SOUTHERN ZONES)...BEFORE LOW-END RAIN CHANCES RE-ENTER THE OFFICIAL
FORECAST BY THE TUES NIGHT-WED TIME FRAME ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY
OF AT LEAST LIMITED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY (ESPECIALLY BY WEDNESDAY).
AT LEAST FOR NOW...THE ENTIRE SUNDAY DAYTIME-TUESDAY DAYTIME
FORECAST REMAINS VOID OF MENTIONABLE RAIN CHANCES...BUT PLEASE NOTE
THAT THERE ARE HINTS IN THE LATEST ECMWF/GFS THAT FUTURE FORECASTS
MAY BE INTRODUCING SLIGHT RAIN CHANCES AS EARLY AS THE LATE MONDAY
NIGHT-TUESDAY TIME FRAME...SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR. TEMPERATURE-
WISE...HIGHS/LOWS WERE CHANGED VERY LITTLE FROM PREVIOUS
FORECAST...WITH SEASONABLE HIGHS IN THE 50S SUNDAY THEN RISING INTO
THE 60S FOR MOST AREAS MON-WED. AS FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS...SATURDAY
NIGHT IS THE COLDEST OF THESE NIGHTS WITH LOWS WELL DOWN INTO THE
20S...WITH MILDER 30S AND EVEN SOME 40S BY MON NIGHT AND ESPECIALLY
TUES NIGHT.

POSSIBLE ELEMENTS WORTHY OF INCLUSION IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER
OUTLOOK (HWOGID): OFFICIALLY...NOTHING YET. FOR ONE...THE
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES JUST INTRODUCED FOR WEDNESDAY WOULD NOT GO INTO
THE HWO UNTIL TONIGHT'S SHIFT. AS FOR POSSIBLE FIRE WEATHER
DAYS...CURRENTLY THERE ARE NONE WITH AN OVERLAP OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY
BELOW 25 PERCENT AND WIND GUSTS ABOVE 20 MPH...BUT THIS WILL BEAR
WATCHING AS THESE CONDITIONS OFTEN DON'T SHOW UP IN MODELS 4+ DAYS
OUT UNLESS THEY ARE PARTICULARLY "BAD".

WILL NOW MENTION A FEW DETAILS ABOUT SPECIFIC PERIODS:

SATURDAY NIGHT: WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSING THROUGH THE CENTRAL
PLAINS (BUT MAINLY TO OUR SOUTH)...KEPT SOME 20-30 PERCENT CHANCES
FOR RAIN/SNOW (MORE LIKELY) GOING FOR MAINLY THE SOUTHEAST 1/3 OF
THE CWA. THE ECMWF IS MORE BULLISH THAN THE GFS HERE...AND EVEN
SUGGESTS SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE MAINLY IN OUR KS
ZONES.

SUNDAY DAYTIME-NIGHT: CONFIDENCE IS PRETTY DARN HIGH IN A DRY 24
HOURS HERE AS SHORTWAVE RIDGING MOVES IN ALOFT BEHIND THE DEPARTING
WAVE...ALTHOUGH RIGHT AWAY SUNDAY MORNING THE VERY BACK EDGES OF
SNOW COULD STILL BE FLIRTING WITH OUR EXTREME SOUTHEAST CWA BEFORE
DEPARTING WELL TO THE EAST. LIGHTER WINDS THAN SATURDAY AND TEMPS
RISE ANYWHERE FROM 7-15 DEGREES VERSUS SATURDAY...WITH ALL AREAS
INTO THE 50S.

MONDAY DAYTIME-NIGHT: KEPT IT DRY HERE...AND LIKELY WILL BE FOR AT
LEAST THE DAYTIME HOURS...BUT FUTURE FORECASTS MAY NEED TO CONSIDER
SOME SHOWER CHANCES FOR LATE IN THE NIGHT AS THE VERY LEADING EDGES
OF ELEVATED MOISTURE RETURN/LIFT REACHES THE AREA WELL OUT AHEAD OF
A LARGE-SCALE TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN CONUS.

TUESDAY DAYTIME-WEDNESDAY DAYTIME: AT LEAST FOR NOW...TUES DAYTIME
FORECAST REMAINS DRY...BUT THE ENTIRE CWA HAS AT LEAST 20-30 PERCENT
RAIN CHANCES FOR TUES NIGHT-WED AS THE CENTRAL PLAINS BECOMES
INCREASINGLY-INFLUENCED BY THE WESTERN CONUS TROUGH. AS IS USUALLY
THE CASE...MODELS VARY CONSIDERABLY IN THE DETAILS...WITH THE GFS
FAVORING TUES NIGHT PRECIP A BIT MORE AND THE ECMWF MORE-SO FAVORING
WED DAYTIME. OF COURSE...IT'S FUTILE/POINTLESS AT THIS DAY 6-7 RANGE
TO TRY WORKING OUT TIMING DETAILS...SO HENCE THE BLANKET RAIN
CHANCES THE ENTIRE TIME. AS FOR THUNDERSTORM INTENSITY...ALTHOUGH
THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE AN "OBVIOUS" SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...IT'S
STILL A WEEK AWAY AND WITH APRIL FAST APPROACHING...IT SURE WON'T
TAKE MUCH TO GET AT LEAST STRONG/MARGINALLY SEVERE STORMS.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1214 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

CIGS HAVE LOWERED ACROSS THE TERMINALS THIS MORNING AHEAD OF A
WINTER STORM SYSTEM ACROSS KANSAS WHICH WILL TRACK ACROSS THE
PLAINS THRU THIS EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE HEADING
THROUGH THE EVENING AND THE FIRST PART OF THE NIGHT WITH PCPN
BEGINNING AS RAIN WITH EVEN A TSTM POSSIBLE...AND THEN
TRANSITIONING TO SNOW. WITH INTENSE NORTH WIND GUSTS NEAR 50KTS
AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VSBYS ARE EXPECTED. WIND SPEEDS
WILL REMAIN STEADY TONIGHT BEFORE GRADUALLY SUBSIDING THURSDAY.

&&

.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM CDT THURSDAY FOR NEZ047-048-061>064-
     072>077-082>087.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT THURSDAY FOR NEZ041-
     047>049-061>063-072>075.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 1 AM CDT THURSDAY FOR NEZ039-040-046-
     060.

KS...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM CDT THURSDAY FOR KSZ005>007-017>019.

&&

SHORT TERM...FAY
LONG TERM...PFANNKUCH
AVIATION...FAY
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 23, 1:31 PM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
231 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-
241200-
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-
231 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND
PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE NEAR CRITICAL THIS AFTERNOON OVER
JEWELL AND MITCHELL COUNTIES IN KANSAS AND THAYER COUNTY IN
NEBRASKA.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING. SMALL HAIL...GRAUPEL...SLEET OR EVEN
THUNDER SNOW MAY OCCUR.

A WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ARE IN EFFECT
FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM
ELWOOD TO HASTINGS TO OSCEOLA. PLEASE SEE THE WINTER WEATHER
MESSAGE FOR DETAILS.

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA.
PLEASE SEE THE HIGH WIND WARNING MESSAGE FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW AMOUNTS AND ANY DAMAGE FROM
WIND.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE:
   HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS  (ALL LOWERCASE)

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm, 7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Valley

When
March 23, 3:00 PM CST to March 24, 12:00 AM CST
Where
Valley forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.567, -98.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches. Wind gusts at times were between 50 and 60 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions. A mesonet site near Arcadia recorded sustained wind speeds near 45 MPH between 6-7:30 p.m. CDT. The ASOS at the Ord Airport recorded a peak gust of 61 MPH at 8:02 p.m. CDT.

Winter Storm, Greeley

When
March 23, 3:00 PM CST to March 24, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Greeley forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.567, -98.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches. Wind gusts at times were between 50 and 60 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Storm, Buffalo

When
March 23, 5:00 PM CST to March 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Buffalo forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.855, -99.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches, with the highest totals being across far south-southeastern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Storm, Phelps

When
March 23, 5:00 PM CST to March 24, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Phelps forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.511, -99.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches, with the highest totals being across far eastern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Storm, Adams

When
March 23, 5:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Adams forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.525, -98.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches, with the highest totals being across far western portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Storm, Kearney

When
March 23, 5:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Kearney forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.507, -98.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches across the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions. Numerous cars slid off roadways and semi trucks jackknifed.

Winter Weather, Dawson

When
March 23, 6:00 PM CST to March 24, 12:00 AM CST
Where
Dawson forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.870, -99.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility.

Winter Weather, Hall

When
March 23, 6:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Hall forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.873, -98.502 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility. The ASOS at the Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport reported gusts to 52 and 54 MPH.

Winter Weather, Harlan

When
March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Harlan forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.177, -99.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches, with the highest totals across the northern third of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility.

Winter Weather, Franklin

When
March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.176, -98.953 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches, with the highest totals across the northern third of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility.

Winter Storm, Nance

When
March 23, 8:00 PM CST to March 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Nance forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.397, -97.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches, with the highest totals being across far north-northwestern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Storm, Howard

When
March 23, 8:00 PM CST to March 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches, with the highest totals being across far northern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Storm, Sherman

When
March 23, 8:00 PM CST to March 24, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Sherman forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.221, -98.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches, with the highest totals being across far northern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50, resulting in periods of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

Winter Weather, Merrick

When
March 23, 10:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Merrick forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.170, -98.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility.

Winter Weather, Hamilton

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.874, -98.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches, with the highest totals being across far west-northwestern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility. The AWOS at the Aurora Airport reported a peak gust of 53 MPH. Wind damage was reported in Giltner, with a business losing its metal roof.

Winter Weather, Polk

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 24, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.187, -97.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches, with the highest totals being across far west-northwestern portions of the county. Wind gusts at times were near 50 MPH, resulting in periods of reduced visibility.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, March 2016

Sources

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: 624553, 624554, 624559, 624560, 624562, 624563, 624548, 624551, 624549, 624550, 624556, 624557, 624558, 624552, 624566, 624567.