2019-2020 Seasonal Snow Summary for Our Coverage Area (Includes Totals And Graphics)

Now that the 2020-21 snowfall season is well-underway (parts of our coverage area have already measured over 10"!), it's time to rewind and examine last snow season (2019-20) for our 30-county coverage area. As covered in more detail below, the "basic theme" of last winter was a disparity between our north-northwest counties (snowier-than-average) and our south-southeast counties (below-average snowfall).

Below are various graphics and tables that outline seasonal totals, departures from normal/average etc. for the 2019-2020 season. Before continuing though, and in order to give last season's totals some perspective, official 30-year normals/averages for our area are:

"Normal"/average seasonal snowfall within our coverage area (based on 1981-2010 NCEI data):

24-30" for most Nebraska counties along/north of the Highway 6 corridor
20-24" for most local counties along the NE/KS border
16-20" for the majority of our North Central Kansas area|

** Note: You can access daily and seasonal local snow total maps (updated DAILY) at this page: https://www.weather.gov/gid/Snow

2019-20 Snow Season Total/Departure From Normal
Nebraska 2019-20 Snowfall Table
Kansas 2019-20 Snowfall Table

South Central Nebraska/North Central Kansas
2019-20 Seasonal Snow and Departure From Normal
(click image to enlarge)


2019-20 Snow Season Totals	2019-20 Snow Departure From Normal

Regional (Central Plains)
2019-20 Seasonal Snow and Departure From Normal
(click image to enlarge)


2019-20 Snow Season Totals	2019-20 Snow Departure From Normal

WINTER 2019-2020 SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER SNOWFALL
The highest reported amount under each month indicated in BLUE, the lowest amount in RED.
T* indicates hail was reported during the month.

Station	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Season
Arcadia 2W	0.0	T	8.8	16.1	2.5	3.0	5.0	3.3	T*	38.7
Beaver City	0.0	T	8.2	6.4	2.4	7.5	3.0	T	0.0	27.5
Belgrade	0.0	0.4	8.0	6.0	3.0	1.0	6.0	5.0	0.0	29.4
Blue Hill 4SW	0.0	1.6	6.5	MSG	3.4	MSG	MSG	MSG	0.0	MSG
Bradshaw	T	1.1	4.2	2.6	3.7	1.0	5.8	5.1	0.0	23.5
Cambridge	T	2.1	10.2	4.8	1.3	3.5	7.0	0.5	0.0	29.4
Lexington 6SSE (Canaday)	0.0	1.5	7.8	8.2	0.5	4.2	0.2	1.0	0.0	23.4
Clay Center 6ESE	0.0	1.1	3.7	1.7	5.4	1.0	4.0	2.4	0.0	19.3
Clay Center	0.0	1.0	7.0	1.7	3.7	0.5	3.5	2.5	0.0	19.9
Edison	0.0	1.0	9.0	6.0	0.5	10.0	7.0	1.0	0.0	34.5
Elwood 8S	0.0	1.3	9.0	8.5	1.5	8.6	9.0	1.5	0.0	39.4
Franklin	0.0	0.5	3.5	2.4	T	1.0	4.4	T	0.0	11.8
Geneva	0.0	1.5	3.5	4.0	7.2	1.5	5.5	2.0	0.0	25.2
Genoa 2W	0.0	0.3	9.0	5.8	7.5	0.7	7.0	6.0	0.0	36.3
Grand Island Airport	0.0	1.6	10.0	5.0	4.3	2.0	4.5	3.9	0.0	31.3
Greeley	0.0	T	9.8	12.8	4.5	1.8	6.4	5.5	0.0	40.8
Gresham 3W	0.0	T	3.1	1.4	7.4	1.0	3.0	5.0	0.0	20.9
Harlan County Lake	0.0	1.0	7.1	5.0	0.5	2.5	0.5	T	0.0	16.6
Hastings NWS	0.0	1.2	8.1	5.9	4.1	2.1	5.3	2.5	0.0	29.2
Hebron	0.0	1.3	1.0	1.8	6.4	0.4	3.8	1.1	0.0	15.8
Holdrege	0.0	1.0	7.7	7.0	1.1	3.0	6.0	2.0	0.0	27.8
Hubbell	T	1.6	1.1	2.7	6.9	0.4	3.0	2.0	0.0	14.7
Kearney Airport	0.0	1.7	9.0	12.8	1.8	2.9	6.2	3.0	0.0	37.4
Loup City	0.0	0.2	11.2	11.5	2.9	0.9	4.0	1.0	0.0	31.7
McCool Junction	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG
Miller	0.0	1.6	9.7	11.5	1.3	2.6	4.0	3.4	T*	34.1
Minden	0.0	1.0	7.5	8.5	1.3	2.0	7.3	1.0	0.0	28.6
Naponee	0.0	1.4	4.7	5.4	T	T	4.0	0.0	T*	15.5
Nelson	0.0	2.0	3.5	1.8	6.5	0.7	4.0	1.2	0.0	19.7
North Loup	0.0	0.2	8.1	15.8	5.0	1.3	MSG	MSG	MSG	MSG
Orleans 1W	0.0	1.9	10.8	4.6	1.2	3.4	4.4	0.7	T*	27.0
Ord	0.0	T	8.6	16.3	4.8	3.8	7.0	5.0	T*	45.5
Osceola	0.0	1.4	6.6	2.8	5.7	0.8	5.4	5.9	0.0	28.6
Oxford 6NNW	0.0	1.2	8.5	6.7	0.4	5.8	5.8	0.9	0.0	29.3
Polk	0.0	0.5	5.9	4.0	6.1	1.0	3.5	4.0	0.0	25.0
Ravenna	0.0	1.5	9.0	12.5	4.0	1.2	5.6	2.9	0.0	36.7
Red Cloud	0.0	T	1.5	3.1	4.6	0.6	5.0	0.5	0.0	15.3
St. Paul	0.0	0.4	11.0	8.6	4.1	1.9	4.9	2.2	0.0	33.1
Shelby 3NE	0.0	1.6	7.5	2.6	5.7	0.7	7.2	4.8	0.0	30.1
Shickley 4S	0.0	1.0	2.0	1.3	6.5	0.4	4.0	3.0	0.0	18.2
Superior	0.0	1.0	2.5	1.9	4.5	0.8	2.4	0.7	0.0	13.8
Wilsonville	0.0	3.0	12.0	4.5	1.5	5.0	4.0	1.0	0.0	31.0
York 3N	0.0	1.0	4.5	2.6	5.1	1.8	4.6	5.9	0.0	25.5

WINTER 2019-2020 NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER SNOWFALL
The highest reported amount under each month indicated in BLUE, the lowest amount in RED.
T* indicated hail was reported during the month.

Station	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Season
Beloit	0.0	T	3.0	4.0	2.2	1.0	T	0.0	0.0	10.2
Burr Oak 1N	T*	2.1	2.4	3.0	2.9	0.6	1.5	0.7	0.0	13.2
Cawker City	0.0	T	2.5	3.0	T	0.5	0.5	T	0.0	6.5
Covert Rural	0.0	1.5	5.4	5.1	1.0	5.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	18.5
Ionia	0.0	1.0	2.3	1.9	3.0	0.3	1.5	0.1	0.0	10.1
Jewell	0.0	1.0	2.0	5.0	5.0	1.1	T	1.0	0.0	15.1
Kirwin Dam	0.0	0.5	MSG	2.3	T	9.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	MSG
Lebanon	0.0	1.5	1.4	2.7	3.4	0.3	1.0	0.2	T*	10.5
Logan	0.0	2.0	7.0	2.5	1.5	9.0	2.0	T	T*	24.0
Lovewell Dam	0.0	1.0	T	1.1	5.7	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	9.3
Natoma	0.0	0.5	6.5	4.8	2.5	3.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	18.3
Phillipsburg	0.0	1.5	4.2	2.9	0.3	8.5	1.5	T	0.0	18.9
Plainville 4WNW	0.0	1.0	5.7	3.2	1.0	4.6	1.0	T	0.0	16.5
Smith Center	0.0	0.5	2.4	2.9	1.9	0.8	1.3	T	0.0	9.8
Webster Dam	0.0	0.2	MSG	2.0	1.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	MSG

The 2019-2020 snowfall season was highlighted/defined by the following points:

For our coverage area as a whole, the winter of 2018-19 was fairly different than the previous one of 2017-18. Most notably, most places received at least a little more snow (many locations 5-15" more). This was especially the case in North Central Kansas, which received a LOT more snow than the previous winter (generally 10-25" more). As a result, almost our entire coverage area measured at least slightly above-normal snow for the winter, including some NWS sites significantly above normal, such as: 4WNW Plainville KS (28.1" above normal), Beloit KS (20.7" above normal), Hebron (19.2" above normal) and Greeley (18.4" above normal). For a number of these locations that were significantly above normal, it was the snowiest season in at least 18 years (since at least 2000-2001).
Although nearly all locations saw above-normal snow, there were several smaller-scale variations over fairly short distances. As a few prime examples:
1) In Nebraska: Kearney (41.9") received 12.7" more than Hastings (29.2")...a decent difference for sites only ~ 35 miles apart.
2) In Kansas: 4WNW Plainville (46.4") received 20.9" more than Logan (25.5")...a BIG difference for places only ~ 30 miles apart.
Within our 24 South Central Nebraska counties (per NWS observers): the highest 2019-2020 seasonal snow totals were in our far northern coverage area, featuring 45.5" at Ord and 40.8" in Greeley, while the lowest totals (near the Kansas border) included 11.8" at Franklin and 13.8" in Superior.
Within our six North Central Kansas counties (per NWS observers): the highest 2019-2020 seasonal totals featured 24.0" at Logan and 18.5" near Covert (rural Osborne County), while the lowest amounts included merely 6.5" at Cawker City and 9.8" in Smith Center.
In the Nebraska Tri Cities: official seasonal totals included: Kearney 37.4" (14" above normal)...Grand Island 31.3" (2.3" above normal)...Hastings 29.2" (0.4" above normal). Purely coincidentally, the Hastings total happened to be the exact same as the previous season!
The EARLIEST MEASURABLE snow within our coverage area occurred between Oct. 28-30 (as much as 3" at Wilsonville) and the LATEST MEASURABLE snow occurred on April 16 (as much as 5.9" near York) .

These Were a Few of Our "Bigger" Snow Events From The 2019-20 Season (click red links for detailed stories)...

December 26-27, 2018: Winter Storm Brings Heavy Snow to Mainly Northern/Western Areas

January 11-12, 2019: 4-8" of Heavy, Wet Snow Targets Southeast Counties

February 23, 2019: Blizzard Impacts Much of the Southeast Half of the Area

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