Nebraska, 2017

Extreme Cold in Nebraska, January 5 to 6, 2017

January 5 to 6, 2017 · NWS LBF · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A bitter cold arctic air mass brought dangerous wind chills to much of western Nebraska during the evening and overnight hours on Thursday January 5th, into the morning hours on Friday January 6th. Lowest wind chills of 30 to 45 below were common, with the lowest wind chill of 41 below recorded at nearby Alliance airport.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 LBF wrote it up.

A bitter cold arctic air mass brought dangerous wind chills to much of western Nebraska during the evening and overnight hours on Thursday January 5th, into the morning hours on Friday January 6th. Lowest wind chills of 30 to 45 below were common, with the lowest wind chill of 41 below recorded at nearby Alliance airport.

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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 5, 4:35 PM MST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 4:35 PM MST, 1 hour 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 5, 3:41 AM MST, 14 hours 19 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sheridan

When
January 5, 6:00 PM MST to January 6, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dangerous wind chills of 30 to 45 below zero occurred across Sheridan County during the evening and overnight hours Thursday into the morning hours Friday. Nearby Alliance ASOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 41 below at 2 am MST on Friday.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Garden

When
January 5, 6:00 PM MST to January 6, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Garden forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.619, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dangerous wind chills of 30 to 45 below zero occurred across Garden County during the evening and overnight hours Thursday into the morning hours Friday. Nearby Alliance ASOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 41 below at 2 am MST on Friday.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Keith

When
January 5, 7:30 PM MST to January 6, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Keith forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.199, -101.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dangerous wind chills of 30 to 39 below zero occurred across Keith County during the evening and overnight hours Thursday into the morning hours Friday. Ogallala AWOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 41 below at 2 am MST on Friday.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Perkins

When
January 5, 7:30 PM MST to January 6, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Perkins forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
40.851, -101.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dangerous wind chills of 30 to 39 below zero occurred across Perkins County during the evening and overnight hours Thursday into the morning hours Friday. Nearby Ogallala AWOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 41 below at 2 am MST on Friday.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Deuel

When
January 5, 8:00 PM MST to January 6, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Deuel forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.112, -102.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dangerous wind chills of 30 to 39 below zero occurred across Deuel County during the evening and overnight hours Thursday into the morning hours Friday. Nearby Sidney ASOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 41 below at 2 am MST on Friday.

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, January 2017

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 665082, 665083, 665085, 665086, 665084.