Winter Storm — Knox, Nebraska

2023-12-25 · Knox, Nebraska

Event narrative

There were reports of 6 to 8 inches of snow across the county made by the public. The O'Neil ASOS reported near-blizzard conditions for 5 hours will visibilities consistency at half a mile, periodically dropping to a quarter mile. The 3-hour persistence was not met for blizzard criteria.

Wider weather episode

An upper-level trough approached the region from the northwest, amplifying as it ejected out into the northern Plains. At the surface, a strong cold front dove southeastward across the region the evening of 12/24, bringing post-frontal winds of 15-25 knots across eastern Nebraska. Precipitation across eastern Nebraska started as rain and transitioned over to snow from northwest to southeast beginning at 6 am the morning of 12/25. After 12pm on the 25th, a dry slot extended north across far eastern Nebraska bringing an end to the snow. Snow continued to fall across the western CWA, primarily along and west of US-77. The low-pressure system cut off the night of 12/25, with the surface low-pressure drifting south across eastern Nebraska. By the morning of 12/26, snow showers wrapping around the storm center spread across southeast Nebraska bringing additional snowfall. Highest snowfall totals were reported across portions of northeast Nebraska, with snowfall totals ranging from 5 to 7.5 inches. The Norfolk, NE ASOS recorded 3+ hours of blizzard conditions, and additional reports from public and social media confirmed blizzard criteria was met in the counties near the ASOS station as well. The dry air that spread across the eastern 2/3 of the CWA prematurely ended precipitation, resulting in snowfall totals lower than expected.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1148187. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.