Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 17 to 19, 2023

Name: Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 17 to 19, 2023
Start: 2023-01-17T17:00
End: 2023-01-19T06:00
Location: Nebraska

January 17 to 19, 2023 · NWS LBF · 27 events in 27 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 27 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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 winter storm moved into western and north central Nebraska during the evening hours on January 17th and continued through the early morning hours on January 19th. The winter storm brought heavy snow to much of western and north central Nebraska, with low visibility at times and snowfall amounts from 8 to 24 inches fell across much of the area, with the highest amounts from 16 to 24 inches reported in Custer County. Northerly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph at times occurred during the event, causing blowing and drifting. Roads were closed across Custer and Blaine County with travel not advised across western and north central Nebraska during the event.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

27 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Sheridan

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 42.505, -102.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located 7 miles south southwest of Rushville reported 5 inches of snowfall. Snowfall across Sheridan County ranged from 5 to 8 inches. Northerly winds of 10 to 20 mph caused minor blowing and drifting.

Winter Storm, Western Cherry

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Western Cherry forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public located 20 miles southwest of Merritt Reservoir reported 9 inches of snowfall. Snowfall across western Cherry County ranged from 5 to 10 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 25 mph caused blowing and drifting.

Winter Storm, Eastern Cherry

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Eastern Cherry forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 42.545, -101.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The official NWS snow observer in Valentine reported 8 inches of snowfall. The Valentine ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter mile from 930 am CST through 130 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across eastern Cherry County ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 25 mph caused blowing and drifting.

Winter Storm, Garden

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Garden forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.619, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A Cooperative Observer located 10 miles northeast of Oshkosh reported 11.5 inches of snowfall. The nearby Ogallala AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 12 am MST through 430 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Garden County ranged from 10 to 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Grant

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 41.915, -101.740 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public in Hyannis reported 12 inches of snowfall. The nearby Thedford AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 730 am MST through 430 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Grant County ranged around 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Hooker

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Hooker forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.916, -101.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer in Mullen reported 12 inches of snowfall. The nearby Thedford AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 730 am MST through 430 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Hooker County ranged around 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Thomas

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Thomas forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 41.914, -100.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Law enforcement in Thedford reported 20 inches of snowfall. The Thedford AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 730 am MST through 430 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Thomas County ranged from 15 to 20 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Highway 83 and Highway 2 across Thomas County became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Arthur

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Arthur forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.569, -101.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer in Arthur reported 14 inches of snowfall. The nearby Ogallala AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 12 am MST through 430 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Arthur County ranged around 14 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Highway 61 in Arthur County became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, McPherson

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.568, -101.060 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer 11 miles east of Tryon reported 15 inches of snowfall. The nearby North Platte ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 230 am MST through 1 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across McPherson County ranged from 14 to 16 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Highway 92 in McPherson County became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Logan

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.567, -100.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located 4 miles west southwest of Stapleton reported 20.8 inches of snowfall. The nearby North Platte ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 330 am CST through 2 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Logan County ranged from 17 to 21 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Highway 83 and Highway 92 in Logan County became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 41.048, -100.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The official NWS snowfall observation 3 miles east of North Platte reported 13.9 inches of snowfall. The North Platte ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 330 am CST through 2 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Lincoln County ranged from 12 to 16 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Interstate 80, Highway 30 and Highway 83 became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Deuel

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.112, -102.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Cooperative Observer in Chappell reported 16 inches of snowfall. The nearby Sidney ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 12 am MST through 1030 am MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Deuel County ranged from 14 to 16 inches. Northerly winds increased to 20 to 30 mph and caused considerable blowing and drifting. Interstate 80, Interstate 76 and Highway 30 became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Keith

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Keith forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 41.199, -101.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The general public in Paxton reported 14 inches of snowfall. The Ogallala AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 12 am MST through 430 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Keith County ranged from 12 to 16 inches. Northerly winds increased to 20 to 30 mph and caused considerable blowing and drifting. Interstate 80 and Highway 30 became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Perkins

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Perkins forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.851, -101.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoraHS observer in Grant reported 14 inches of snowfall. The Grant AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times from 12 am MST through 9 pm MST on January 18th. Snowfall across Perkins County ranged from 13 to 15 inches. Northerly winds increased to 20 to 30 mph and caused considerable blowing and drifting. Highway 61 became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Chase

When: January 17, 5:00 PM MST to January 19, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Chase forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.524, -101.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoraHS observer 8 miles west of Champion reported 14 inches of snowfall. The Imperial ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times during the early morning hours and again during the afternoon hours on January 18th. Snowfall across Chase County ranged from 13 to 15 inches. Northerly winds increased to 25 to 35 mph and caused considerable blowing and drifting. Highway 61 became closed during the event and travel was not advised.

Winter Storm, Hayes

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Hayes forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.525, -101.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoraHS observer 14 miles southwest of Hayes Center reported 7 inches of snowfall. The nearby Imperial ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times during the early morning hours and again during the afternoon hours on January 18th. Snowfall across Hayes County ranged from 7 to 10 inches. Northerly winds increased to 25 to 35 mph and caused considerable blowing and drifting. Travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Frontier

When: January 17, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Frontier forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.530, -100.394 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoraHS observer 8 miles southwest of Eustis reported 13 inches of snowfall. The nearby McCook ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to a half mile at times during the early morning hours and again during the afternoon hours on January 18th. Snowfall across Frontier County ranged from 10 to 14 inches. Northerly winds increased to 25 to 35 mph and caused considerable blowing and drifting. Travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Custer

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Custer forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 41.394, -99.726 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public located 6 miles west of Merna reported 23.7 inches of snowfall. The Broken Bow ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter mile or less from 9 am CST through 6 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Custer County ranged from 18 to 24 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Most highways and county roads became closed during the event and travel was nearly impossible.

Winter Storm, Blaine

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 41.913, -99.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public located in Dunning reported 20 inches of snowfall. The nearby Broken Bow ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter mile or less from 9 am CST through 6 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Blaine County ranged from 15 to 20 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Most highways and county roads became closed during the event and travel was nearly impossible.

Winter Storm, Loup

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Loup forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.914, -99.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public located 6 miles southwest of Almeria reported 18.1 inches of snowfall. The nearby Broken Bow ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter mile or less from 9 am CST through 6 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Loup County ranged from 15 to 19 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Most highways and county roads became closed during the event and travel was nearly impossible.

Winter Storm, Garfield

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.914, -98.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located in Burwell reported 16 inches of snowfall. The nearby Ord ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to half mile from 1 pm CST through 6 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Garfield County ranged from 13 to 17 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Some highways and county roads became closed during the event and travel was nearly impossible.

Winter Storm, Wheeler

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Wheeler forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.915, -98.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located 16 miles northeast of Bartlett reported 10 inches of snowfall. The nearby Ord ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter to half mile from 1 pm CST through 6 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Wheeler County ranged from 10 to 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Rock

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 42.421, -99.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public located in Bassett reported 14 inches of snowfall. The nearby O'Neill AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to half mile from 1 pm CST through 9 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Rock County ranged from 11 to 15 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Some county roads became closed and travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Brown

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public located in Ainsworth reported 15.5 inches of snowfall. The nearby Valentine ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter mile from 930 am CST through 130 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Brown County ranged from 12 to 16 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Some county roads became closed and travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Holt

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Holt forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located 22 miles north of O'Neill reported 12 inches of snowfall. The O'Neill AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to half mile from 1 pm CST through 9 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Holt County ranged from 11 to 15 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Some county roads became closed and travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Boyd

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located 5 miles southeast of Spencer reported 12 inches of snowfall. The nearby O'Neill AWOS reported visibilities of a quarter to half mile from 1 pm CST through 9 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Boyd County ranged from 10 to 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting. Some county roads became closed and travel was not advised during the event.

Winter Storm, Keya Paha

When: January 18, 12:00 AM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Keya Paha forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 42.879, -99.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General public in Springview reported 12 inches of snowfall. The nearby Valentine ASOS reported visibilities of a quarter mile from 930 am CST through 130 pm CST on January 18th. Snowfall across Keya Paha County ranged from 10 to 12 inches. Northerly winds of 15 to 25 mph caused blowing and drifting. Some county roads became closed and travel was not advised during the event.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1069570, 1069575, 1069588, 1069591, 1069592, 1069593, 1069594, 1069597, 1069598, 1069599, 1069600, 1069603, 1069604, 1069608, 1069609, 1069612, 1069616, 1069625, 1069637, 1069639, 1069640, 1069641, 1069642, 1069645, 1069646, 1069647, 1069648.