Severe Weather in the Central and Southern Plains; Rain and Mountain Snow in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies

A powerful storm is expected to bring periods of heavy rain, gusty winds, and the potential for severe thunderstorms throughout the southern to central Plains through Monday. Widespread precipitation and heavy mountain snow is expected across the Northwest and northern Rockies through Monday. Up to a foot of snow is possible across the higher elevations of the Cascades and northern Rockies. Read More >

A Brief Summary of the December 29th-31st Winter Storm

A wide variety of significant winter weather began impacting portions of south central Nebraska and north central Kansas during the day on Friday (12/29) and continued through Saturday night (12/30), before exiting the area on Sunday (12/31). Freezing rain, sleet, and snow began Friday afternoon in portions of Dawson county, with snowfall amounts as high as 9 inches. By Friday night most of the precipitation had turned over to sleet and freezing rain, pressing further east to around highway 281 in Nebraska and highway 183 in Kansas. This led to significant ice accumulations which continued through Saturday night. The areas just west of Grand Island and Hastings received significant ice accrual from the storm, with up to an inch of ice reported from Wood River and Juniata. Many locations recevied at least one half inch of ice. The deposits of ice have caused widespread tree damage, along with power outages, and damage to power lines and poles.

Snowfall reports as of Sunday morning showed the heaviest snowfall fell west of a line from Greeley, Nebraska to just west of Phillipsburg, Kansas.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1148 AM CST SUN DEC 31 2006

.TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON

.DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.

..REMARKS..

0700 AM ICE STORM ASHTON 41.25N 98.79W
12/31/2006 SHERMAN NE CO-OP OBSERVER

STORM TOTAL ICE ACCRUAL WAS 0.25 OF AN INCH.

0700 AM SNOW 2 S COZAD 40.83N 99.99W
12/31/2006 M2.0 INCH DAWSON NE CO-OP OBSERVER

SNOW DEPTH 10 INCHES.

0700 AM SNOW ASHTON 41.25N 98.79W
12/31/2006 M1.0 INCH SHERMAN NE CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM SNOW HUNTER 39.24N 98.40W
12/31/2006 M1.0 INCH MITCHELL KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM SNOW PALCO 39.25N 99.56W
12/31/2006 M1.5 INCH ROOKS KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM SNOW SMITH CENTER 39.78N 98.78W
12/31/2006 M1.0 INCH SMITH KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM SNOW BURR OAK 39.87N 98.30W
12/31/2006 M1.0 INCH JEWELL KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM SNOW ALTON 39.47N 98.95W
12/31/2006 M1.0 INCH OSBORNE KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM SNOW LOUP CITY 41.28N 98.97W
12/31/2006 M2.0 INCH SHERMAN NE CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM ICE STORM PALCO 39.25N 99.56W
12/31/2006 ROOKS KS CO-OP OBSERVER

ICE ACCRUAL 0.3 OF AN INCH. SNOWFALL 1.5 INCHES.

0712 AM ICE STORM LOUP CITY 41.28N 98.97W
12/31/2006 SHERMAN NE CO-OP OBSERVER

ICE ACCRUAL OF ONE HALF INCH REPORTED BY COOP OBSERVER.
SNOWFALL 2.0 INCHES.

0721 AM ICE STORM 1 E JUNIATA 40.59N 98.49W
12/31/2006 ADAMS NE NWS EMPLOYEE

ICE ACCRUAL OF 3/4 TO ONE INCH. OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE
REPORTED AT LEAST 9 POWER POLES DOWN ON 12TH STREET.

0800 AM ICE STORM MANKATO 39.79N 98.21W
12/31/2006 JEWELL KS CO-OP OBSERVER

STORM TOTAL ICE ACCRUAL 0.25 OF AN INCH.

0800 AM ICE STORM 1 NNW WOOD RIVER 40.84N 98.61W
12/31/2006 HALL NE CO-OP OBSERVER

STORM TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATION 1.0 INCH. TREE DAMAGE
PREVALENT WITH LARGE LIMBS DOWN AND LOSS OF POWER.

0800 AM ICE STORM CAMBRIDGE 40.28N 100.17W
12/31/2006 FURNAS NE CO-OP OBSERVER

STORM TOTAL ICE ACCRUAL 0.25 OF AN INCH.

0800 AM SNOW LEXINGTON 40.78N 99.74W
12/31/2006 M6.0 INCH DAWSON NE CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM SNOW CAMBRIDGE 40.28N 100.17W
12/31/2006 M6.5 INCH FURNAS NE CO-OP OBSERVER

SNOW DEPTH 12 INCHES.

0800 AM SNOW WILSONVILLE 40.11N 100.11W
12/31/2006 M5.0 INCH FURNAS NE CO-OP OBSERVER

BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.

0800 AM SNOW IONIA 39.66N 98.35W
12/31/2006 M1.0 INCH JEWELL KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM SNOW PORTIS 39.56N 98.69W
12/31/2006 M1.5 INCH OSBORNE KS CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM SNOW ORD 41.60N 98.93W
12/31/2006 M3.0 INCH VALLEY NE CO-OP OBSERVER

SNOW DEPTH 5 INCHES. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. TREE
DAMAGE.

1050 AM ICE STORM 4 NE KEARNEY 40.74N 99.03W
12/31/2006 BUFFALO NE CO-OP OBSERVER

STORM TOTAL ICE ACCRUAL WAS 0.5 OF AN INCH.

1130 AM ICE STORM BELGRADE 41.47N 98.07W
12/31/2006 NANCE NE CO-OP OBSERVER

TOTAL STORM ICE ACCRUAL 0.25 INCH.

1250 PM SNOW MILLER 40.93N 99.39W
12/31/2006 M3.0 INCH BUFFALO NE CO-OP OBSERVER

Below are rainfall, snowfall and snow depth maps through Sunday morning from the storm. Much of the rain in the western and northern portions of the images fell as freezing rain.

Current Rainfall Map

Current Snowfall Map

Current Snowfall Map

Pictures below of ice accumulation on trees in Hastings along with tree damage - pictures courtesy of NWS Hastings
Data Acquisition Program Manager Marla Doxey:

The images below were submitted courtesy of Amber Reynolds, wife of NWS forecaster James Reynolds:

The image above depicts downed power lines and poles along 12th Street in Hastings - looking to the east.

The image above depicts ice laden trees and power lines near Juniata.

After the storm, ice that covered a real estate sign in Westbrook, east of Juniata, had slid down beneath sign above.

In the visible satellite image above, which was taken on January 2nd 2007 at 115 PM CST - a large glaciated snow field is readily apparent from eastern Colorado into western Kansas, extending through western and central Nebraska. The snow field stretches into the Dakotas and northwestern Minnesota. Note the other smaller snow field depicted from northeast Kansas through southeast Nebraska, into western Iowa and southern Minnesota.

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