Nebraska, 2023

Extreme Cold in Nebraska, February 22 to 24, 2023

February 22 to 24, 2023 · NWS LBF · 23 events in 22 counties and zones

An arctic airmass brought very cold temperatures as cold as 10 below to 20 below zero and dangerous wind chills as low as 30 below to 45 below zero to much of western and north central Nebraska. Strong northerly winds of 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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
23

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.

An arctic airmass brought very cold temperatures as cold as 10 below to 20 below zero and dangerous wind chills as low as 30 below to 45 below zero to much of western and north central Nebraska. Strong northerly winds of 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a long duration of dangerous wind chills beginning during the early morning hours on February 22nd through the morning hours on February 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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 11:26 PM CST, 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 21, 11:26 PM CST, 34 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 21, 3:57 PM CST, 8 hours 3 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service North Platte NE
357 PM CST Tue Feb 21 2023

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-222200-
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-
357 PM CST Tue Feb 21 2023 /257 PM MST Tue Feb 21 2023/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north
central Nebraska.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in effect
beginning tonight and lasting through Wednesday night. Please refer
to these products for more details.

A strong cold front will arrive out of the north this evening,
leading to an abrupt wind shift and rapidly falling temperatures
through the overnight. Winds will increase quickly with gusts up to
45 mph out of the north, mainly after Midnight. Precipitation will
form behind this front, with rain expected initially before
transitioning to snow by early Wednesday morning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Snowfall will continue to overspread much of western and north
central Nebraska by early Wednesday morning, with pockets of heavy
intensity snowfall likely for areas north of Highway 2. Moderate to
heavy snow and winds in the 35 to 45 mph range will promote blowing
and drifting of snow in addition to drastic visibility restrictions.
Travel will become very difficult if not impossible for much of the
area. Snow and winds will diminish from west to east through the
afternoon and evening. Total snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches with
locally higher amounts are expected for much of northern Nebraska
with 2 to 6 inches possible for much of southwest through central
Nebraska.

Strong northerly winds will continue Wednesday night and again
Thursday night. As temperatures fall below zero each night, wind
chill values will fall into the 25 to 35 below zero range. Later
forecasts will require wind chill headlines for these periods.

Folks necessary to be outdoors or with travel plans during these
periods should monitor later forecasts for more up to date
information regarding these threats.

At this time, the threat for widespread hazardous weather beyond
Friday morning is low.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 21, 10:22 PM CST, 1 hour 38 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Cherry

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Eastern Cherry forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across eastern Cherry County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 36 below at the Valentine ASOS at 430am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Keya Paha

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Keya Paha forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Keya Paha County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 35 below at a mesonet site 12 miles southwest of Naper at 6am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Holt

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Holt forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Holt County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 32 below at the O'Neill AWOS at 8am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Boyd

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Boyd forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Boyd County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 32 below at the nearby O'Neill AWOS at 8am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wheeler

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Wheeler forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.915, -98.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Wheeler County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 31 below at the nearby Ord ASOS at 720am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Garfield

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Garfield forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.914, -98.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Garfield County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 31 below at the nearby Ord ASOS at 720am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Loup

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Loup forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.914, -99.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Loup County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 31 below at the nearby Ord ASOS at 720am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Blaine

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Blaine forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.913, -99.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Blaine County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 32 below at the nearby Broken Bow ASOS at 440am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Custer

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Custer forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.394, -99.726 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Custer County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 32 below at the Broken Bow ASOS at 440am CST on December 23rd. A mesonet site located 2 miles southwest of Merna recorded a lowest wind chill of 36 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Thomas

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Thomas forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.914, -100.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Thomas County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 34 below at the Thedford AWOS at 535am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Logan

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Logan forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.567, -100.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Logan County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 34 below at the nearby Thedford AWOS at 535am CST on December 23rd. A mesonet site near Stapleton recorded a lowest wind chill of 31 below at 8am CST.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McPherson

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
McPherson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.568, -101.060 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across McPherson County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 34 below at the nearby Thedford AWOS at 535am CST on December 23rd. A nearby mesonet site near Stapleton recorded a lowest wind chill of 31 below at 8am CST.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Custer

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Custer forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.394, -99.726 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Custer County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 32 below at the Broken Bow ASOS at 440am CST on December 23rd. A mesonet site located 2 miles southwest of Merna recorded a lowest wind chill of 36 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lincoln

When
February 22, 12:00 AM CST to February 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.048, -100.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Lincoln County, dangerous wind chill values reached 30 below during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 15 to 25 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 30 below at the North Platte ASOS at 340am CST on December 23rd. A mesonet site located 5 miles south southwest of North Platte also recorded a lowest wind chill of 30 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sheridan

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Sheridan County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 44 below at the Gordon AWOS at 215am MST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Western Cherry

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Western Cherry forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across western Cherry County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 44 below at the nearby Gordon AWOS at 215am MST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Keith

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Keith forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.199, -101.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Keith County, dangerous wind chill values reached 30 below or colder during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 15 to 25 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 32 below at the Ogallala AWOS at 615am MST on December 23rd. A mesonet site located at Kingsley Dam also recorded a lowest wind chill of 33 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Deuel

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 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)

Across Deuel County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 30 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 37 below at the nearby Sidney ASOS at 1225am MST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Garden

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Garden forecast zone
Reported by
RAWS
Coordinates
41.619, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Garden County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 38 below at the Crescent Lake RAWS site at 5am MST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Arthur

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Arthur forecast zone
Reported by
RAWS
Coordinates
41.569, -101.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Arthur County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 38 below at the nearby Crescent Lake RAWS site at 5am MST on December 23rd. A mesonet site 8 miles south of Arthur recorded a lowest wind chill of 35 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Grant

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
RAWS
Coordinates
41.915, -101.740 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Grant County, a long duration of dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 22nd until the morning hours on February 24th. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred during the first half of the event. The winds combined to produce a lowest wind chill of 38 below at the nearby Crescent Lake RAWS site at 5am MST on December 23rd. A nearby mesonet site 8 miles south of Arthur recorded a lowest wind chill of 35 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hooker

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Hooker forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.916, -101.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Hooker County, dangerous wind chill values of 30 below or colder began during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 20 to 35 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 34 below at the nearby Thedford AWOS at 535am CST on December 23rd.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Perkins

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to February 24, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Perkins forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
40.851, -101.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Perkins County, dangerous wind chill values reached 30 below or colder during the early morning hours on February 23nd through the morning hours on February 23rd. Northerly winds as high as 15 to 25 mph occurred to produce a lowest wind chill of 36 below at the Grant AWOS at 615am MST on December 23rd.

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 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, February 2023

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1073517, 1073524, 1073528, 1073529, 1073530, 1073531, 1073534, 1073535, 1073536, 1073540, 1073541, 1073542, 1073549, 1073550, 1073509, 1073512, 1073551, 1073553, 1073554, 1073555, 1073556, 1073558, 1073559.