Winter Storm — Box Butte, Nebraska

2023-04-04 · Box Butte, Nebraska

Event narrative

A variety of sources reported 2 to 4 inches of snow across Box Butte County, along with significant ice accumulations due to heavy freezing drizzle. Trained weather spotters reported up to one quarter of an inch of ice accumulation in Hemingford. The Alliance Airport (KAIA) ASOS recorded 0.29 inch of ice accumulation between 1:05 AM and 7:34 AM MDT on 4/4. The NOHRSC Interpolated National Snowfall Analysis suggests snowfall amounts exceeded 6 inches across far northwestern Box Butte County, with considerably less snow and more ice toward the city of Alliance.

Wider weather episode

A large, slow moving low pressure system intensified rapidly as it tracked across the central Rockies between 4/2 and 4/5. This weather system combined with a historically significant amount of moisture from both the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to produce extreme snowfall rates across portions of the northern Nebraska Panhandle. Heavy snow initially developed across Sioux and Dawes counties during the overnight hours from 4/2 into 4/3, before spreading across the remainder of the western Nebraska Panhandle late in the evening on 4/3. Accumulating snowfall persisted across much of the region until mid to late afternoon on 4/4. Areas of heavy freezing drizzle with significant ice accumulation were also reported. In general, the heaviest snow fell across the northern Nebraska Panhandle where 1 to 2 feet of accumulation was reported across northern Sioux and Dawes counties. A wintry mix was more common along and southeast of a line from Scottsbluff to Alliance. While snowfall amounts in these were much less significant at only 3 to 6 inches, many areas received one quarter to one half inch of ice prior to the change over to snow. Transportation was significantly impacted with numerous road closures reported, especially north.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1086568. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.