Winter Weather — Greeley, Nebraska

2025-02-11 to 2025-02-12 · Greeley, Nebraska

Event narrative

Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 4 inch range, with the highest reported total of 3.6 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer in Greeley.

Wider weather episode

As the winter progressed, some were beginning to wonder if any snow would fall across south central Nebraska. That line of thinking changed on February 11 and 12 as the first in a series of winter events impacted south central Nebraska.

Light snow moved into the area early on the 11th and became somewhat heavier and more widespread across south central Nebraska by evening. Bands of briefly heavy snow formed at times within the larger snow area as it moved from west to east across the area. A 6-8 hour period from late on the 11th through the early overnight hours on the 12th likely contained the heaviest snowfall and poorest visibility. The intensity of the snow lessened by dawn on the 12th before basically ending across the area by midday. Snow amounts generally ranged from 2 to nearly 6 inch range, with some of the higher amounts reported near Kearney (5), Miller (5.3'), Wilsonville (5.5'), near Orleans (4.6') and Doniphan (4.5').

Unlike many winter events, the surface weather map didn't depict a strong low pressure anywhere near Nebraska. In fact, cold air had spilled all the way to the gulf coast and suggested the surface low was actually as far south as south Texas. This event was driven by a solid 500-700 MB short wave exiting the Rockies and moving east across the Central Plains on the night of the 11th. Frontogenetic forcing in the mid-levels of the atmosphere teamed with a 100+ KT 300 MB jet streak to form the classic banded snowfall often found with these types of weather systems.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1240422. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.