Extreme Cold in Nebraska, February 18 to 20, 2025

Name: Extreme Cold in Nebraska, February 18 to 20, 2025
Start: 2025-02-18T06:22
End: 2025-02-20T00:10
Location: Nebraska

February 18 to 20, 2025 · NWS CYS · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Widespread arctic cold temperatures returned to western Nebraska.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 6

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 CYS wrote it up.

Widespread arctic cold temperatures returned to western Nebraska.

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 Cheyenne, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 18, 4:59 AM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 18, 4:59 AM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 18, 5:03 AM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
503 AM MST Tue Feb 18 2025

NEZ002-003-019>021-054-055-095-096-WYZ101>119-191215-
Dawes County-Box Butte County-Scotts Bluff County-Banner County-
Morrill County-Kimball County-Cheyenne County-
Northern Sioux County-Southern Sioux County-
Converse County Lower Elevations-Niobrara County-
North Laramie Range-Ferris/Seminoe/Shirley Mountains-
Shirley Basin-Central Laramie Range and Southwest Platte County-
East Platte County-Goshen County-Central Carbon County-
North Snowy Range Foothills-Southwest Carbon County-
Sierra Madre Range-Upper North Platte River Basin-Snowy Range-
Laramie Valley-South Laramie Range-South Laramie Range Foothills-
Central Laramie County-East Laramie County-
503 AM MST Tue Feb 18 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of panhandle
Nebraska...east central Wyoming...south central Wyoming and
southeast Wyoming.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

- Bitterly cold temperatures continue over the High Plains

- Another round of snowfall this afternoon and evening will bring
  a chance for intense, narrow bands of heavy snowfall mainly
  along the I-80 corridor and in the mountains of southeast
  Wyoming. Light to moderate snow is expected elsewhere.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

- Bitterly cold temperatures continue through Thursday

- Strong winds are likely to return for the weekend

.Spotter information statement...

Spotters are encouraged to report snow totals to the National
Weather Service in Cheyenne.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Dawes

When: February 18, 6:22 AM MST to February 19, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Dawes forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.720, -103.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Overnight low temperatures fell to between -20 F and -25 F in Dawes County from 2/18 through 2/20. The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in a prolonged period of extreme wind chills under -30 F. Minimum observed wind chill values reached -47 F at the Chadron ASOS at 5:53 AM MST on 2/19.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, North Sioux

When: February 18, 6:24 AM MST to February 19, 7:24 AM MST
Where: North Sioux forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.488, -103.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Overnight low temperatures fell to between -10 F and -15 F in Northern Sioux County from 2/18 through 2/19. The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in a prolonged period of extreme wind chills under -35 F. Minimum observed wind chill values reached -37 F at the mesonet site 17 miles north-northeast of Harrison at 7:24 AM MST on 2/19.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Scotts Bluff

When: February 18, 7:16 AM MST to February 19, 7:53 AM MST
Where: Scotts Bluff forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.851, -103.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Overnight low temperatures fell to between -10 F and -15 F in Scotts Bluff County from 2/18 through 2/19. The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in a prolonged period of extreme wind chills under -25 F. Minimum observed wind chill values reached -31 F at the Scottsbluff ASOS (KBFF) at 7:53 AM MST on 2/19.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Box Butte

When: February 18, 7:20 AM MST to February 20, 12:10 AM MST
Where: Box Butte forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.220, -103.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Overnight low temperatures fell to between -10 F and -15 F in Box Butte County from 2/18 through 2/20. The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in a prolonged period of extreme wind chills under -35 F. Minimum observed wind chill values reached -40 F at the mesonet site 3 miles south-southeast of Berea at 7:00 AM MST on 2/19.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cheyenne

When: February 18, 7:20 AM MST to 8:14 AM MST
Where: Cheyenne forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.220, -102.995 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Overnight low temperatures fell to between -10 F and -15 F in Cheyenne County on 2/18. The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in a short period of extreme wind chills under -30 F. Minimum observed wind chill values reached -31 F at the Sidney ASOS (KSNY) 2 miles south-southwestt of Sidneyat 8:14 AM MST on 2/18.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Morrill

When: February 18, 7:25 AM MST to 8:50 AM MST
Where: Morrill forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 41.716, -103.010 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Overnight low temperatures fell to between -10 F and -15 F in Morrill County on 2/18. The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in a short period of extreme wind chills under -30 F. Minimum observed wind chill values reached -32 F at the mesonet site 7 miles north of Boardwater at 8:50 AM MST on 2/18.

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

Every storm in Nebraska in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, February 2025

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1230040, 1230039, 1230042, 1230041, 1230044, 1230043.