Reviewing The 2017-18 Snowfall Season (With Area Totals And Graphics)

Now that it's June and the 2017-2018 snowfall season is clearly behind us, it's time to rewind and take a look back at a winter that featured a noticeable difference in snow totals between northern/western portions of our 30-county coverage area (snowier) and southern portions of our area (less snow, especially in north central KS).

Below are graphics and tables that reflect seasonal totals, departures from normal/average etc. for the 2017-2018 season. Before continuing though, and in order to give last season's snow totals some perspective, official 30-year normals from NCEI suggest that:

"Normal"/average seasonal snowfall within our coverage area is:

24-30" for most Nebraska counties along/north of the Highway 6 corridor
20-24" for most local counties along the NE/KS border
16-20" for the majority of North Central Kansas, especially south of the Highway 36 corridor.

The 2017-2018 snowfall season was highlighted/defined by the following points:

Despite the big difference in snow totals from north-to-south, it actually turned out that the majority of our coverage area saw "near-normal" snowfall (within roughly 6" either side of the 30-year normal), especially within most of our 24 Nebraska counties. However, many areas near and especially south of the state line into our six north central KS counties averaged roughly 5-10" below normal for the season.
The highest concentration of at least slightly above-normal seasonal snowfall focused within counties north and west of the Nebraska Tri Cities. The highest concentration of below-normal snowfall clearly focused near and especially south of the Nebraska-Kansas border.

Per NWS Cooperative Observers: Within the 24 South Central Nebraska counties of the NWS Hastings area, the highest 2017-2018 seasonal snow totals featured 39.8" near Arcadia and 39.5" at Ord, while the lowest totals included 10.3" in Naponee and 12.9" in Franklin.
Per NWS Cooperative Observers: Within the six local North Central Kansas counties, the highest 2017-2018 seasonal totals featured 22.9" near Plainville (actually slightly above normal) and 20.3" at Burr Oak, while the lowest amounts included 7.6" at Cawker City and 9.1" at Phillipsburg.
In the Nebraska Tri Cities, official seasonal totals included: Grand Island 33.6" (4.6" above normal)...Kearney 31.1" (7.7" above normal)...Hastings 27.1" (1.7" below normal).
See the links below (in red) for more details, but two of the overall-biggest snow storms of the 2017-18 season included: the Jan. 21-22 blizzard (highest totals north of I-80) and the April 1 Easter snow (narrow corridor of 6-10+" mainly within the Highway 6 counties). PLEASE NOTE: The April 14 blizzard was also a significant winter storm featuring widespread power outages in some counties, but only a small portion of our coverage area received more than 5" of snow from it.

Two of the Biggest Snow Events From The 2017-18 Season (click red links for details)...

January 21-22, 2018: Blizzard Strikes Most Of The Area, Heaviest Snow North of I-80

April 1, 2018: No April's Fool Joke! Heavy Snow Blankets Parts Of The Area on Easter Sunday

2017-18 Snow Season Total/Departure From Normal
Nebraska 2017-18 Snowfall Table
Kansas 2017-18 Snowfall Table

South Central Nebraska and North Central Kansas
2017-18 Seasonal Snow and Departure From Normal
(click image to enlarge)


2017-18 Snow Season Totals	2017-18 Snow Departure From Normal

Regional View of the 2017-18
Seasonal Snow and Departure From Normal
(click image to enlarge)


2017-18 Snow Season Totals	2017-18 Snow Departure From Normal

WINTER 2017-2018 SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER SNOWFALL
The highest reported amount under each month indicated in BLUE, the lowest amount in RED.
T* indicates hail was reported during the month.

Station	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Season
Arcadia	0.0	T	4.4	4.5	9.0	10.4	1.5	10.0	0.0	39.8
Aurora 4N	0.0	0.0	1.8	5.2	4.9	8.0	0.4	2.7	0.0	23.0
Beaver City	0.0	T	T	3.0	6.0	4.5	0.5	1.5	0.0	15.5
Belgrade	0.0	0.0	1.5	3.5	16.3	6.3	0.8	4.3	0.0	32.7
Blue Hill 4SW	0.0	T	0.4	4.5	3.5	8.8	T	7.0	0.0	24.2
Bradshaw	0.0	0.0	1.1	5.0	5.1	6.8	0.3	2.9	0.0	21.2
Bruning	0.0	MSG	0.0	5.0	2.5	MSG	T	6.0	0.0	MSG
Cambridge	0.0	0.0	1.0	3.4	5.7	6.1	1.4	2.6	0.0	20.2
Lexington 6SSE (Canaday)	0.0	0.0	T	5.0	5.0	6.7	4.0	MSG	0.0	MSG
Clay Center 6ESE	T*	0.0	T	3.7	3.6	7.1	0.4	6.0	0.0	20.8
Clay Center	0.0	0.0	T	7.0	5.0	8.8	0.1	6.5	0.0	27.4
Cozad	0.0	0.0	2.7	5.9	7.8	9.3	T	4.6	0.0	30.3
Edison	0.0	0.0	0.7	3.0	2.5	5.0	0.6	3.0	0.0	14.8
Elwood 8S	0.0	T	0.5	4.0	5.7	9.4	3.2	6.4	0.0	29.2
Franklin	0.0	0.0	T	2.9	2.3	6.2	0.0	1.5	0.0	12.9
Geneva	0.0	T	0.0	4.5	3.5	9.5	0.8	6.0	0.0	24.3
Genoa 2W	0.0	0.5	T	3.9	11.3	10.3	2.0	4.3	0.0	32.3
Grand Island Airport	0.0	0.9	0.2	7.2	10.2	10.6	0.4	4.1	0.0	33.6
Greeley	0.0	0.0	1.1	3.5	13.1	7.1	0.8	6.2	0.0	31.8
Gresham 3W	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.0	6.0	4.0	1.0	MSG	0.0	MSG
Harlan County Lake	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	4.5	6.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	13.0
Hastings NWS	0.0	0.2	T	5.8	5.9	8.0	0.3	6.9	0.0	27.1
Hebron	0.0	0.0	T	4.7	4.4	12.1	T	4.2	0.0	25.4
Holdrege	0.0	0.0	T	5.0	5.0	7.0	6.0	8.5	0.0	31.5
Hubbell	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.5	5.0	9.0	T	4.0	0.0	22.5
Kearney Airport	0.0	0.0	0.4	4.3	6.8	9.2	0.7	9.7	0.0	31.1
Loup City	0.0	0.0	3.0	3.7	10.5	6.0	0.3	6.3	0.0	29.8
Miller	0.0	T	1.8	6.1	5.5	9.0	1.5	10.0	0.0	33.9
Minden	0.0	0.0	T	6.0	5.0	7.5	4.0	9.7	0.0	32.2
Naponee	0.0	T	T	1.7	3.2	4.4	T	1.0	0.0	10.3
Ord	T*	T	2.0	5.3	12.4	8.6	1.1	10.1	0.0	39.5
Osceola	0.0	T	1.2	3.0	12.0	9.8	2.7	2.9	0.0	31.6
Oxford 6NNW	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.6	5.1	6.1	0.7	4.8	0.0	19.8
Polk	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.5	6.0	4.0	2.0	2.5	0.0	19.0
Ravenna	0.0	0.0	2.5	5.0	9.2	9.5	T	5.2	0.0	31.4
Red Cloud	0.0	0.0	T	3.5	3.5	7.8	0.0	T	0.0	14.8
St. Paul	0.0	T	2.0	4.0	15.9	7.6	0.2	5.2	0.0	34.9
Shelby 3NE	0.0	0.0	0.3	4.5	12.9	13.1	2.7	3.1	0.0	36.6
Shickley 4S	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.5	2.0	7.0	T	9.5	0.0	23.0
Superior	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	3.6	6.5	0.0	MSG	0.0	MSG
Wilsonville	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	8.0	9.5	0.3	3.0	0.0	24.8
York 3N	0.0	0.0	1.6	6.0	5.7	7.7	0.4	4.2	0.0	25.6

WINTER 2017-2018 NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER SNOWFALL
The highest reported amount under each month indicated in BLUE, the lowest amount in RED.
T* indicated hail was reported during the month.

Station	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Season
Alton 2SW	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	3.0	5.0	T	1.0	0.0	11.0
Beloit	0.0	0.0	T	1.5	3.0	7.5	0.0	T	0.0	12.0
Burr Oak 1N	0.0	0.0	0.2	2.6	5.7	8.6	T	3.2	0.0	20.3
Cawker City	0.0	0.0	T	1.0	1.0	3.9	0.0	1.7	0.0	7.6
Covert Rural	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	7.5	2.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	15.0
Glen Elder Dam	0.0	0.0	T	1.0	1.0	MSG	0.0	MSG	0.0	MSG
Ionia	0.0	0.0	T	1.1	1.9	6.2	T	1.7	0.0	10.9
Jewell	0.0	0.0	T	1.5	4.2	7.0	1.0	2.0	0.0	15.7
Kirwin Dam	0.0	0.0	T	1.5	3.0	6.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.9
Lebanon	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.7	3.5	7.8	T	2.5	0.0	15.6
Logan	T*	T	T	2.0	5.0	7.0	T	1.0	0.0	15.0
Lovewell Dam	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.4	1.0	MSG	0.0	MSG	0.0	MSG
Natoma	0.0	0.0	1.0	2.5	6.0	2.0	2.0	1.0	0.0	14.5
Phillipsburg	0.0	0.0	0.7	1.3	5.1	0.9	0.1	1.0	0.0	9.1
Plainville 4WNW	0.0	0.0	0.3	4.0	10.8	4.8	2.3	0.7	0.0	22.9
Smith Center	0.0	0.0	0.2	2.0	3.5	7.6	T	2.0	0.0	15.3
Webster Dam	0.0	0.0	T	3.5	5.0	4.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5

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