A bitter cold arctic air mass brought dangerous wind chills to portions of north central Nebraska during the late evening Tuesday, February 20th, and the overnight and morning hours on Wednesday, February 21st. Lowest wind chills of 30 to 39 below occurred.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 bitter cold arctic air mass brought dangerous wind chills to portions of north central Nebraska during the late evening Tuesday, February 20th, and the overnight and morning hours on Wednesday, February 21st. Lowest wind chills of 30 to 39 below occurred.
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 Feb 20, 5:21 PM CST, 5 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 521 PM CST Tue Feb 20 2018 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Wednesday) Issued at 318 PM CST Tue Feb 20 2018 Latest satellite imagery shows predominantly clear skies overhead with a nice line of separation noted between fresh snow-covered ground and little-no snow across far northwest KS into south central NEB. Latest water vapor imagery shows an amplified long wave trough affecting much of the western CONUS and high pressure offshore the southeast CONUS. Our sensible weather concern revolves around wind chills tonight into tomorrow morning. While skies are clear presently overhead, current thinking is some clouds will make there way into southwest NEB overnight. However, think these clouds will only have minor impacts on temperatures overnight. Latest mesoanalysis and MSAS analysis shows surface high pressure currently over the Northern High Plains extending into NEB. Surface high pressure will slide eastward overnight to southeast SD/northeast NEB. Meanwhile, winds currently 10-15 MPH will lessen through mid evening becoming light to calm though breezes will persist across northern NEB. These light breezes with fresh snow cover and cold temperatures necessitated wind chill warnings and advisories for portions of northern NEB, coldest across northern Sheridan and western Cherry (wind chills as low as 35 below zero). Further, the forecast lows were modified towards the cold-end with respect to the forecast envelope given the fresh snow. Lows are forecast from about 2 below to 18 below zero, coldest in the extreme northwest. Tomorrow, despite mostly sunny skies, temperatures will remain well below-normal with highs largely 15 to 20 degrees below seasonable normal values. Otherwise, quiet and fair conditions will prevail. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Tuesday) Issued at 318 PM CST Tue Feb 20 2018 Beginning 00z Thursday. A long wave trough centered over the Great Basin will be the primary player in our weather through Saturday before swinging through the plains on Sunday. This will promote a gradual warming trend with near seasonal temperatures expected by Sunday for the Sandhills and surrounding areas. Precipitation chances will be tied to a series of shortwaves, first of which arrives on Thursday. The previous shift noted that saturation in the lower levels are less than ideal, but shown to increase as the wave passes through. The models are keying on the development of precipitation generally in two areas. First is in an area of strengthening h5-7 FGEN across western portions of our CWA while weak upglide is maximized. We expect light snow to develop and expand northeast from southwest Nebraska through the central Sandhills after 12z. The second area of stronger FGEN develops across our southeast and extends northeastward after 18z. Both areas show temperatures support of snow with some weak instability in the form of neg-EPV. Snow rates on the order of a half inch per hour would be possible under convective enhancement. The shortwave pulls to the east as the long wave cruises across the Rockies. Increasing qg with strong FGEN banding associated with the long wave will begin the next round of snow to the forecast area. The main area of potential looks to be squarely across southwest Nebraska up through north central Nebraska. Better moisture and stronger combination of lift will promote moderate accumulations, which most will fall as snow. Temperatures may be supportive of a brief period of rain or wintery mix, so will need to monitor closely. Westerly flow will follow the departing wave with a slight warm up for late week and early next week. Precipitation chances look to be slight at best days 6-7 until the next potential wave sets up mid or late week next week. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Wednesday evening) Issued at 521 PM CST Tue Feb 20 2018 VFR conditions the next 24 hours at the KLBF and KVTN terminals. Mainly SKC conditions tonight and Wednesday. Light and variable winds tonight will be southerly on Wednesday at less than 10 kts. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Warning until 10 AM CST /9 AM MST/ Wednesday for NEZ004-094. Wind Chill Advisory from 11 PM CST /10 PM MST/ this evening to 10 AM CST /9 AM MST/ Wednesday for NEZ005-006-008. && SHORT TERM...ET LONG TERM...Jacobs AVIATION...Roberg
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service North Platte NE 316 PM CST Tue Feb 20 2018 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-212130- 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- 316 PM CST Tue Feb 20 2018 /216 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2018/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north central Nebraska. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. Very cold air will combine with light breezes to create dangerously low wind chill values across the northeast Panhandle and the northern Sandhills. A wind chill warning and a wind chill advisory are in effect for portions of northern Nebraska. The coldest wind chills are anticipated after midnight across northern Sheridan and western Cherry counties, as low as 35 below zero. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A quick-moving system will bring light snow to the area Thursday. Up to 1 inch possible, mainly across north central Nebraska. Another chance for snow returns late Friday into Saturday. Light to moderate accumulations will be possible, the greatest potential for snow exists across southwest Nebraska 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 ET
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind Chills as low as 30 below occurred in eastern Cherry County during the early morning. Valentine ASOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 30 below at 6 am CST and again at 8 am CST.
Wind Chills as low as 38 below occurred in Sheridan County from late evening, through the overnight and into the morning hours. Nearby Alliance ASOS recorded wind chills as low as 31 below to 38 below between 11 pm MST and 7 am MST. Nearby Pine Ridge, South Dakota ASOS also recorded a lowest wind chill of 30 below at 11 pm MST.
Wind Chills as low as 30 below occurred in western Cherry County during the overnight and into the morning hours. Nearby Nearby Pine Ridge, South Dakota ASOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 30 below at 11 pm MST. Nearby Valentine ASOS recorded a lowest wind chill of 30 below at 5 am MST and again at 7 am MST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, February 2018
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: 731082, 731080, 731081.