Winter Storm — Platte, Nebraska

2009-12-24 to 2009-12-27 · Platte, Nebraska

Event narrative

A prolonged winter storm/blizzard hit the area closing many roads and highways and bringing most traffic to a standstill for a few days. Snowfall from the storm began Christmas Eve morning and lasted well into the 26th with substantial blowing and drifting snow and occasional periods of accumulating snow finally tapering off around midnight on the 27th. Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts over 45 mph occurred for an extended period during the height of the storm. A peak gust of 49 mph was measured by the Awos in Columbus. Total snowfall from the storm was estimated at 14 to 18 inches over most of the county with around 16.3 inches measured in Columbus among the highest reported. A 19-year-old male was killed when he was struck by snow removal equipment when assisting its removal a few days after the storm. In addition, LPPD reported that 1,450 customers in Platte Center, Lindsay, Monroe, Tarnov and Creston temporarily lost power during the storm. The city of Columbus spent $43,000 alone just for labor for snow removal.

Wider weather episode

The second winter storm of the month hit eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa as a complex weather pattern brought a prolonged period of winter weather, including blizzard conditions, to the region around Christmas. Low pressure aloft in the southern plains lifted northeast into Missouri as another low pressure system dropped south out of Canada. These two systems then merged over the central United States and eventually pulled Atlantic moisture westward into the plains. Before they merged, the southern system pulled up gulf moisture and brought areas of freezing rain to southeast Nebraska and 3 to 5 inches of snow to northeast Nebraska on 12/23. The second system pulled down Arctic Air as north winds gusted between 40 and 50 mph over most of the region. This not only changed all the precipitation to snow on the 24th, but also brought blizzard conditions to much of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa Christmas Eve and much of Christmas Day as the systems merged. Snow and blowing snow and occasional blizzard or near-blizzard conditions then continued through much of the 26th.

Snowfall from the prolonged winter storm was 10 to 18 inches over most of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. Heavier totals included around 18 inches in Norfolk, around 16 inches in Neligh and near Little Sioux Iowa, around 15 inches in Columbus, near Verdel Nebraska and Shenandoah Iowa, 14 inches near Gretna, Bennington and Logan Iowa and 13 inches at the NWS in Valley, near Auburn, Fremont, Ft. Calhoun, Wayne, Bloomfield, and Papillion. The snow and strong winds drifted most rural roads shut and even made many highways impassable, especially in northeast Nebraska and sections of southeast Nebraska northwest through southwest of Lincoln where winds were a bit stronger. President Obama granted disaster declarations for many counties hit by this storm and the one in early January.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 202580. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.