The third winter weather system in a week brought the harshest set of winter conditions of the season to south central Nebraska in terms of snow and cold both. This entry focuses more on the snow than the cold.
Every event with a place to put it; 24 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 GID wrote it up.
The third winter weather system in a week brought the harshest set of winter conditions of the season to south central Nebraska in terms of snow and cold both. This entry focuses more on the snow than the cold. For more detailed impacts of the cold, see the Extreme Cold/Wind Chill event entry dated February 17-20.
Regarding the snow, a general 2 to 6 inch snowfall fell beginning during the day on the 17th and wrapping up around midday on the 18th. Snow amounts were driven by the longer nature of the event (36 hours) rather than snow intensity. However, there were bursts of heavier snow, largely during the day on the 17th, followed by a lull in the action during the evening and overnight, before some more steady snow moved across the area on the 18th. As temperatures dropped well below zero, winds remained steady in the 15 to 20 mph range, with gusts at times over 25 mph. This resulted in occasional visibility restrictions of less than one mile at times. While most snow amounts were less than 6 inches, there were a few outliers, such as near Orleans where 6.6 of accumulation was measured and at the NWS Cooperative Observer site southeast of Lexington where 6.2 of snow fell. A CoCoRAHs site in Dawson county southwest of Lexington reported 6.5 of snow. Elsewhere, 5 inches of snow was a common report, including at Superior, near Gresham, Central City and Genoa. The Central Nebraska Regional Airport northeast of Grand Island reported 4.8 of snow and the NWS office in Hastings measured 4.4 . The lightest snow amounts generally feel east/southeast of Hastings in Thayer and Fillmore Counties.
This event was driven by another shortwave moving through a broad cyclonic upper level flow. Unlike the previous two events, this upper flow was a bit more from the north/northwest, which helped filter the extreme cold farther south. Low level moisture was sparse due to the extreme cold, but mid-level was plentiful and the primary source for the longer duration event. Mid-level frontogenesis was most pronounced in the 700-500 MB layer and accentuated by the broad lift of the shortwave and upper flow. Increasing upper divergence associated with the entrance region of a 120 knot 300 MB jet streak over Iowa helped spur the initial round of snow on the 17th.
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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 11:59 PM CST, 1 minute earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
24 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 3 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 5.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in North Loup.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 3 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.9 inches from a CoCoRaHS observer located two miles northwest of Rockville.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 3 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.8 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in Greeley.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 3 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in St. Paul.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 6 inch range, with the highest reported total of 6.5 inches from a CoCoRaHS observer located six miles southwest of Lexington.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.5 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in Miller.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.8 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located near the Central Nebraska Regional Airport.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, based on surrounding area observations.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 3 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 5.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located two miles west of Genoa.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 3 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 5.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in Central City.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.7 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located three miles northeast of Shelby.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 5.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located three miles west of Gresham.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 3.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located four miles south of Shickley.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 6 inch range, with the highest reported total of 6.2 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer at the Canaday Power Plant, located six miles south-southeast of Lexington.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 6 inch range, with the highest reported total of 6.2 inches from a CoCoRaHS observer located two miles west-southwest of Holdrege.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in Minden.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.4 inches measured at the NWS Hastings office located four miles north of Hastings.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 4 inch range, with the highest reported total of 2.6 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located six miles east-southeast of Clay Center.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.3 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located six miles north-northwest of Oxford.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 6 inch range, with the highest reported total of 6.6 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located one mile west of Orleans.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 3.7 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in Franklin.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.2 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located four miles southwest of Blue Hill.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 5.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located in Superior.
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 2.5 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located in Hubbell.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, February 2025
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: 1241149, 1241150, 1241151, 1241152, 1241153, 1241154, 1241155, 1241156, 1241157, 1241158, 1241159, 1241160, 1241161, 1241162, 1241163, 1241164, 1241165, 1241167, 1241168, 1241170, 1241171, 1241172, 1241173, 1241175.