A winter storm brought areas of light freezing rain, followed by a period of heavy snowfall to much of Sheridan County and Cherry County during the morning into the afternoon hours. Freezing rain around a tenth of an inch with local amounts up to a quarter inch were reported.
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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 areas of light freezing rain, followed by a period of heavy snowfall to much of Sheridan County and Cherry County during the morning into the afternoon hours. Freezing rain around a tenth of an inch with local amounts up to a quarter inch were reported. Snowfall amounts from 4 to 6 inches were also reported across the area.
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 Mar 16, 4:55 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 655 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 328 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 A highly amplified pattern continues across the CONUS tonight. A closed low was located off the Oregon coast with a negatively tilted trough of low pressure extending southeast into northern New Mexico where a strong shortwave was located. Downstream of the trough, a high amplitude ridge extended form the Ozarks north northwest into northern Alberta Canada. Downstream of the ridge, low pressure was located over New England and the Canadian maritimes with a trough of low pressure extending south into the mid Atlantic and upper Ohio Valley. Current WV imagery overnight, has the shortwave closing off over western Kansas. A broad area of showers and embedded thunderstorms has developed overnight and was focused mainly across northern portions of the forecast area. As for ptypes, the main precipitation mode continues to be liquid, however, as of 3 am cdt, moderate snow has commenced across Sheridan county per highway cameras. Based on the dew point of 28 at Valentine, am anticipating a mix of sleet/freezing rain to begin shortly. As of 3 AM CDT, readings ranged from around freezing across far northern Nebraska, to the middle 40s in southwestern Nebraska. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 328 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 Today and Tonight: The main forecast concern today, continues to center around precipitation chances and the threat for a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet or snow across northern Nebraska. Upper level low pressure will close off over northwestern Kansas and track into south central Nebraska today. This feature will take on a negative tilt as it lifts into a highly amplified downstream ridge. This will a) slow down the eastward progression of this feature, and b) allow additional moisture to pivot around the low into northern Nebraska today. Based on the latest HRRR and NAM12 solutions the greatest threat for precipitation continues to be across northern Nebraska where deformation zone precipitation will be most prevalent today. Lighter precipitation will develop further south later this morning on the western periphery of the low, impacting southwestern and southeastern portions of the forecast area. Low level thermal profiles in the NAM12 and HRRR solns continue to indicate a threat for freezing precipitation across northern Nebraska today, with mainly a snow threat in northern Cherry and northern Sheridan counties. Already, moderate to heavy snow was noted in northern Sheridan county, and rain was reported over northern Cherry county. Temperatures were hovering around the freezing mark in Valentine. The QPF forecast today utilized the WPC forecast, which was heavier than the superblend. That being said, snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches appear on track in Cherry and Sheridan counties. Further south and east, lighter snowfall amounts are expected, however a tenth to two tenths of an inch of ice accumulation remains on track. With this in mind, no changes to current winter headlines are expected. The H5 low will track east into swrn Iowa this evening, with precipitation chances ending by midnight in the east. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 328 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 12z Saturday and beyond. An upper level ridge will build across the region on Saturday with drier and warming weather anticipated. The latest guidance shows a nice rebound in temperatures Saturday afternoon, with upper 50s forecast for our far southwest, but lower 40s over our far northeast where clouds may remain from the departing system. The flow aloft turns southwest on Sunday in advance of the next potentially significant system. The latest deterministic solutions are in fair agreement in that the low will lift east from the Desert Southwest across the central/southern Rockies on Sunday. From there the system will take on a negative tilt and emerge on the plains early on Monday/Sunday night. Much like the current system, rapid cyclogenesis will ensue across eastern Colorado and provide for solid moisture return in advance of the trough/upper low. Fairly strong QG lift is shown to target portions of the central and southern plains with a convective element within banded QPF. Like the current situation, temperatures are tricky and key to the impacts we will see. The Sunday/Monday system looks to not have as much of an influence from the north, so looking like a lesser icing threat, but enough dynamics and cold air will support a changeover to snow, especially in the overnight periods. In addition, we could be looking at thunderstorms once again. At this point, precipitation looks to remain into the day on Monday before pulling east. It should be noted that there are track differences between the GFS and EC with the EC being further south and lesser impact to the forecast area. Late Monday and Tuesday northwest flow looks to take hold, leaving temperatures slightly below average. Additional ripples in the flow could spark off some light QPF, but those ripples are tough to time at this point. Mid and late week temperatures look to rebound back at or above average and the forecast trends dry as a ridge of high pressure builds from the western CONUS. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Saturday morning) Issued at 655 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 For the KLBF terminal: Periods of light rain are expected this morning with ceilings ranging from 800 to 1200 FT AGL. Ceilings will improve this afternoon, becoming MVFR by late afternoon. Clearing is expected this evening. For the KVTN terminal: Wintry precipitation including freezing rain, sleet and snow will be possible through mid afternoon with IFR ceilings expected. Visbys may fall off to under a mile at times this morning into the mid afternoon hours. Precipitation will end by mid afternoon, however low ceilings will continue into the overnight hours. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning until 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ this evening for NEZ004-005-094. Winter Storm Warning until 1 AM CDT Saturday for NEZ006>010. Winter Weather Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 1 AM CDT Saturday for NEZ026>029. Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ this evening for NEZ022>025-056. && SYNOPSIS...Buttler SHORT TERM...Buttler LONG TERM...Jacobs AVIATION...Buttler
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service North Platte NE 404 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-162100- 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- 404 AM CDT Fri Mar 16 2018 /304 AM MDT Fri Mar 16 2018/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north central Nebraska. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow, will impact north central Nebraska today into this evening. A winter storm warning is in effect from Sheridan county east to Holt county. Snow accumulations of 2 to 7 inches are expected along with ice accumulations up to around a quarter inch. A winter weather advisory is in effect from Grant county east to Wheeler county for a light glaze of ice and snow accumulations up to two inches. In addition, isolated thunderstorms are possible this morning generally north of Interstate 80. No severe storms are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. Accumulating snow is possible Sunday afternoon through Monday across the outlook area. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight. && Get your weather, hydrological, and climate information at http://www.weather.gov/northplatte
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A Cooperative observer located 6 miles north of Gordon reported ice accumulations of a tenth of an inch, followed by snowfall amounts of 6 inches by mid afternoon. Snowfall amounts from 3 to 7 inches, and ice accumulations up to a tenth of an inch were common across Sheridan County.
A nearby Cooperative observer located 6 miles north of Gordon reported ice accumulations of a tenth of an inch, followed by snowfall amounts of 6 inches by mid afternoon. Snowfall amounts from 3 to 6 inches, and ice accumulations up to a tenth of an inch were common across western Cherry County.
General public reported via social media, 4.6 inches of snowfall at 410 pm cst. The Valentine ASOS also recorded a quarter inch of ice accumulation at 1252 pm cst. Snowfall amounts from 3 to 6 inches, and ice accumulations up to a quarter of an inch were common across eastern Cherry County.
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, March 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: 739204, 739205, 739207.