Winter Weather — Kearney, Nebraska

2025-02-14 to 2025-02-15 · Kearney, Nebraska

Event narrative

Snowfall totals across the county generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches.

Wider weather episode

The second in a series of weather events impacted south central Nebraska late on Valentine's Day and the 15th.

After a period of light mixed precipitation near the Kansas border, areas to the south and east of Grand Island, including U.S. Highways 281, 81 and 6, experienced a period of freezing drizzle which resulted in a glaze of ice on area roads and surfaces. Just before midnight on the 14th, a snow band formed from Valley to Dawson counties. This snow band, roughly 60 miles wide, moved east across south central Nebraska overnight, and into eastern Nebraska by mid-morning on the 15th. Aside from the light glaze in some areas, a dusting to 4 inches of snow fell. Most of the snow fell northwest of a line from York to Red Cloud. Within that area, some of the heavier amounts included 4' Ashton, Genoa and Cozad, 3.8' near Orleans and 3.2' near Shelby. Most of the snow amounts reported were in the 1 to 2 inch range.

Unlike the winter event a few days prior, there was a weak surface low in southern Kansas. The 700 MB weather chart depicted a clearly defined, positively-tilted trough moving across the area bringing a mixture of precipitation. As the trough passed, dry air filtered into the mid-levels of the atmosphere. The weak lift overriding the shallower cold air near the surface resulted in a period of freezing drizzle. Eventually, mid-level moisture increased, and when teamed with increasing frontogenesis in the 700 to 500 MB layer, the band of steadier snow formed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1240482. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.