A winter storm brought heavy snow and blowing snow beginning during the morning hours on April 30th, continuing into the late evening hours. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 9 inches in portions of Frontier and Custer County, with 5 to 10 inches from portions of Loup, Garfield, and Holt County.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
A winter storm brought heavy snow and blowing snow beginning during the morning hours on April 30th, continuing into the late evening hours. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 9 inches in portions of Frontier and Custer County, with 5 to 10 inches from portions of Loup, Garfield, and Holt County. Some blowing and drifting from north winds of 25 to 40 mph caused the closure of a portion of highway 92 in western Custer County, and also power outages to some customers in Frontier County and at least 500 customers in Custer County.
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 Apr 30, 5:49 AM CST, 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 649 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 359 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 Surface low pressure extended across southern Kansas into western Arkansas. Drier air in the lower levels has continued to affect precipitation from reaching the ground across western Nebraska. The exception has been in Frontier, Hayes and southeast Lincoln, where light rain or light snow has begun to occur. Temperatures still holding in the upper 3s0 to lower 40s central and eastern areas, except upper 20s to lower 30s northwest sandhills. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 359 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 Today...An upper level low was positioned just east of the Texas Panhandle early this morning. The upper low is forecast to track into east central Kansas by late afternoon. A well defined deformation band will develop from northwest Kansas into portions of southwest and south central Nebraska this morning. Within this deformation band, persistent lift and dynamic cooling will support rain mixing with and changing over to snow this morning. The deformation band will extend northeast across the entire southeastern zones this afternoon, near and east of Hayes Center through North Platte and Bassett. A sharp cutoff to the precipitation will exist immediately to the west. Due to daytime effects, the actual amounts of snowfall accumulation will be offset by melting and thermodynamic profiles bordering from rain to snow at times. Snowfall amounts this morning to range up to 3 inches in Frontier county to an inch or less eastern Hayes, southeast Lincoln and southern Custer. Heavier precipitation working into the area this afternoon will bring the greater potential for snowfall accumulations around 3 inches or slightly more across Frontier, southeast Lincoln and Custer County. Existing winter storm warnings continue for Frontier and Custer counties, while advisories continue for Hayes, Lincoln, Logan and Blaine county. Remaining counties of Rock, Holt, Loup, Garfield and Wheeler previously in a watch were placed in a winter weather advisory from 18z this afternoon through tonight. Highs will contrast from near 55 in the northwest sandhills to the upper 30s far southeastern zones, where greatest potential for rain and snow exists. Strong north winds of 25 to 40 mph will occur today, limiting visibility where heavy snow falls. Tonight...The upper low will lift northeast into southern Iowa. The deformation band will continue to affect Custer county on into the northeastern zones this evening and overnight. Most of the accumulations for the northeast zones will occur tonight. Although there has been an eastward shift in the track of the system, the southeastern zones are still forecast to receive storm total snowfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, with locally higher amounts possible. North winds 20 to 30 mph early evening, diminish to 10 to 20 mph after midnight. Lows tonight mainly around 33 degrees across the forecast area. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Saturday) Issued at 359 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 The low pressure system will be just east of the region by Monday morning. A few lingering snow/rain showers are possible early Monday morning mainly across eastern Boyd, Holt and Wheeler counties. Showers end by mid-morning with mostly cloudy skies prevailing throughout the remainder of Monday. There's a slight chance of some isolated rain showers across the northern forecast area on Monday afternoon as a weak frontal system moves southward. Confidence in shower development is low at this time. Elsewhere, dry conditions remain for Monday. High temperatures return to the upper 50s and low 60s. Rain showers return for Tuesday and Wednesday as a couple weak systems move southeastward over the central Plains. Showers will be light in nature and thunderstorm development is expected to be low. With temperatures well above freezing both Tuesday and Wednesday, precipitation is not likely to change over to snow. Highs both Tuesday and Wednesday remain in the upper 50s and low 60s. A high amplitude ridge and resulting high pressure build into the region on Thursday. Dry conditions return for Thursday through Saturday. Temperatures continue a warming trend with highs reaching the low 70s on Thursday and the mid 70s for Friday and Saturday. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Monday morning) Issued at 648 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 A spring storm system will affect areas near and east of a line from LBF through ANW today into this evening. Some MVFR ceilings are forecast at LBF this afternoon and early evening along with a chance for p6sm -ra. Strong north winds 36025g35kt from late morning through this afternoon for the LBF terminal diminish this evening and overnight. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 1 PM this afternoon to 7 AM CDT Monday for NEZ009-010-027>029. Winter Storm Warning until 7 AM CDT Monday for NEZ038. Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM CDT Monday for NEZ037-059-070. Winter Storm Warning until 1 AM CDT Monday for NEZ071. Winter Weather Advisory until 7 AM CDT Monday for NEZ026. && SYNOPSIS...Roberg SHORT TERM...Roberg LONG TERM...Kulik AVIATION...Roberg
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service North Platte NE 422 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-010930- 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- 422 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017 /322 AM MDT Sun Apr 30 2017/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north central Nebraska. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A strong spring storm system will bring the potential for snow accumulations to portions of southwest, central, and eastern portions of north central Nebraska today into tonight. Refer to the latest winter weather bulletin for details in your area. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight. && Get your weather, hydrological, and climate information at http://www.weather.gov/northplatte Roberg
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A Cooperative observer located 2 miles northwest of Eustis reported 8.5 inches of snowfall. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 9 inches across Frontier County. With north winds of 25 to 40 mph, some power outages and downed tree limbs were reported across Frontier County.
General public located 5 miles west of Merna reported 8 inches of snowfall. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 8 inches across Custer County. With north winds of 25 to 40 mph, some power outages and downed tree limbs were reported across Custer County. A portion of highway 92 between Arnold and Merna was closed during the evening and overnight hours.
A CoCoRaHS observer located 12 miles west of Taylor reported 10 inches of snowfall. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches across Loup County. With north winds of 25 to 40 mph, blowing and drifting snow with some downed tree limbs were reported across Loup County.
A Cooperative observer located 8 miles west northwest of Ericson reported 6 inches of snowfall. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches across Garfield County. With north winds of 25 to 40 mph, blowing and drifting snow with some downed tree limbs were reported across Garfield County.
A Cooperative observer located in O'Neill reported 10 inches of snowfall. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches across Holt County. With north winds of 20 to 30 mph, blowing and drifting snow with some downed tree limbs were reported across Holt County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, April 2017
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: 687358, 687359, 687360, 687361, 687362.