Frigid Airmass to Bring Significantly Colder Temperatures; Heavy Lake-effect Snow; Fire Concerns Across the Central Gulf Coast

A frigid cold airmass will bring significantly colder weather across the eastern two thirds of the country early this week. Temperatures will tie or break many records across the Southeast through tonight. Moderate to heavy lake effect snow will continue downwind of the Great Lakes. Gusty winds and dry conditions will support an elevated fire weather threat across the Central Gulf Coast. Read More >

Overview

A dynamic low pressure system/winter storm crossed the Central Plains from Thursday, Feb. 23rd through Friday, Feb. 24th, 2017. As is common of many storm systems especially later in the winter, a variety of weather was observed across the NWS Hastings coverage area:

- Snow: Snow was the "big story" for much of the area, but especially for counties north of the Interstate 80 corridor, where totals in the 4-7" range were common. Meanwhile, lesser totals of 2-4" prevailed along the Interstate 80 and Highway 6 corridors, with only 1-2" reported farther south near the Nebraska-Kansas border. Although not a "true blizzard", strong northerly winds gusting to around 40 MPH on the 24th resulted in "near-blizzard" conditions at times in falling snow (see the snowfall table and map below for more details).

- Freezing drizzle: Especially during the pre-dawn hours of the 24th, there was a temporary "lull" in snowfall across much of the area. Unfortunately, this allowed steady freezing drizzle to take "center stage" for a time, resulting in very slick roadways across several counties. Near and especially after sunrise, snow moved back in from the north and put an end to any freezing drizzle.

- Thunderstorms/small hail: During the afternoon and evening of the 23rd, a narrow line of thunderstorms developed across southeast portions of the area (initially from Rooks County KS northeastward toward Fillmore County NE), and marched eastward with time. While these storms were non-severe, some places reported hail up to around one-half inch in diameter, along with a varied mix of sleet and wet snow.

NWS Hastings radar loop from 12:30 PM on Feb. 23rd - 3:30 PM on Feb.24th. The NWS Hastings coverage area is outlined in orange and interstates are in red.

Snowfall Amounts
Precipitation Maps

Snowfall Amounts

Below is a table of selected snowfall totals from area NWS Hastings Cooperative Observers. These are storm total (48 hour) snowfall totals, ending Saturday morning, February 25th.

Location	Snowfall (in)
Greeley	7.5
Ord	7.0
Loup City	5.0
3 NE Shelby	4.8
St. Paul	4.3
Miller	3.7
Kearney Airport	3.6
Osceola	3.2
3 N York	3.2
NWS Hastings (4 N Hastings)	3.2
Clay Center	3.0
Ravenna	3.0
Minden	3.0
Grand Island Airport	2.9
8 S Elwood	2.0
Bradshaw	1.9
Smith Center, KS	1.8
Hebron	1.7
Wilsonville	1.5
Burr Oak, KS	1.4
6 ESE Clay Center	1.4

Precipitation Maps


Storm Total (48 Hr) Snowfall Ending The Morning of Feb. 25th.	Storm Total (48 Hr) Liquid Equivalent Ending The Morning of Feb. 25th.

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Frigid Airmass to Bring Significantly Colder Temperatures; Heavy Lake-effect Snow; Fire Concerns Across the Central Gulf Coast

February 23-24, 2017: 4-7" of Snow North of I-80...Some of the First Thunderstorms of 2017 In Southeast Counties