Nebraska winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 93 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 8,064 winter storm records in Nebraska from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 265 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 10, 2013 blizzard: 6 deaths across 6 records. Nebraska ranks 14th of 51 states and territories by count and 26th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Nebraska, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 8,0641996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 265average
- Deaths
- 72123 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $290Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2018493 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Nebraska?
Nebraska averages about 265 winter storm records a year since 2000, 14th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2018 (493). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Nebraska records 1050 winter storm records since 1996, 26th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Nebraska have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Dakota County leads Nebraska: 142 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 537.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Merrick County has the most winter storm records (163 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Nebraska?
44% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (1,823 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,735 · Feb 1,823 · Mar 1,118 · Apr 739 · May 65 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 2 · Oct 275 · Nov 684 · Dec 1,623 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Nebraska?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-03-10 | BlizzardLancaster County · forecast zone Lancaster One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful winter storm moved into the central Plains during the weekend of March 9-10th. The system initially brought warm weather and scattered showers and thunderstorms on the evening of the 8th into the morning of the 9th. As the main upper level storm system emerged on the Plains late on the 9th, a strong cold ... | 6 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-11-26 | Winter WeatherBuffalo County · forecast zone Buffalo One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. It was a very warm period for Thanksgiving with afternoon high temperatures in the 50s and 60s, a cold front moved into the area on Sunday and brought colder air to the region. Occasional freezing drizzle developed across the region and produced some slick spots on area roads and bridges. This contributed to numerous ... | 5 | 24 | $88K | |
| 2010-02-14 | Winter WeatherCass County · forecast zone Cass One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A quick moving storm brought strong winds and blizzard or near-blizzard conditions to a large part of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on Feb. 14th and 15th. As low pressure aloft dropped southeast across eastern Nebraska early on the 14th, light to moderate snow developed over the region. As the system moved ... | 4 | 15 | – | |
| 2013-01-11 | Winter WeatherLincoln County · forecast zone Lincoln The Nebraska State Patrol notified WFO North Platte of a plane that took off from the North Platte Regional Airport, Lee Bird Field (LBF) at 1546 CST and lost contact seven minutes later at 1553 CST. At the time weather conditions at LBF included freezing drizzle and visibility of three miles, with a cloud ceiling of ... | 4 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2010-11-20 | Winter WeatherYork County · forecast zone York Light freezing drizzle across the area resulted in slick roads, which played a role in a late evening fatal accident one mile west of the Henderson interchange on Interstate 80. A SUV lost control and crossed the median into an oncoming semi, killing all 4 passengers in the SUV. | 4 | 0 | $135K | |
| 1999-01-01 | Winter StormDawson County · forecast zone Dawson One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The start of 1999 was ushered in with snow, ice, and very cold weather across central and south-central Nebraska. On New Years Day, a steady snowfall along and north of Interstate 80 dumped from 1 to 5 inches of snow. Most of the 5 inch reports were along Highway 92 from Loup City to Osceola, but also in parts of ... | 3 | 6 | – | |
| 2011-12-08 | Winter WeatherMerrick County · forecast zone Merrick One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Although the forecast for this Thursday called for only 1-2 inches of snow across much of South Central Nebraska, a heavier-than-expected east-west snow band materialized for several hours near and north of Highway 6, resulting in widespread 3-4 inch amounts across several counties. Per NWS Cooperative Observers, ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-12-07 | Winter StormDouglas County and Washington County · forecast zone Douglas Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with a little over 12 inches measured at the NWS office in Valley, 9.4 inches measured at Omaha Eppley and around 10.5 inches measured in Bennington and at Boystown. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-03-24 | Winter StormLincoln County · forecast zone Lincoln An intense spring storm system brought near blizzard conditions to the area. Snow was widespread across the area with accumulations of 2 to 5 inches common. Strong gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts into the 50s blew and drifted snow impeding travel across the area. A family traveling on Interstate 80 in Lincoln ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-04-03 | Ice StormCheyenne County · forecast zone Cheyenne Icy roads resulted in numerous accidents on highways in the western Nebraska Panhandle. | 2 | 3 | $89K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Nebraska
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-10-25 | Heavy SnowLancaster County · forecast zone Lancaster One storm episode: 11 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $103M | |
| 2006-12-29 | Ice StormKearney County · forecast zone Kearney One storm episode: 23 records in 23 places, 2006-12-29 to 2006-12-30; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $48M | |
| 1997-10-25 | Winter StormAdams County · forecast zone Adams | 0 | 0 | $30M | |
| 2006-12-31 | Winter WeatherCass County · forecast zone Cass One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $28M | |
| 2001-04-11 | Winter StormCherry County · forecast zone Cherry | 0 | 0 | $17M | |
| 2005-11-27 | BlizzardHolt County · forecast zone Holt One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2005-11-27 to 2005-11-28; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 1997-04-04 | BlizzardBanner County · forecast zone Banner | 0 | 0 | $9.2M | |
| 1996-10-22 | Winter StormRichardson County · forecast zone Richardson One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $4.8M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Nebraska?
Nebraska's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Nebraska | United States | Nebraska's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1,152 | 32,893 | 3.5% |
| 2000s | 2,497 | 88,805 | 2.8% |
| 2010s | 2,885 | 103,626 | 2.8% |
| 2020-26 | 1,530 | 62,015 | 2.5% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Nebraska
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardDixon County · forecast zone Dixon | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardDakota County · forecast zone Dakota | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardWayne County · forecast zone Wayne | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardPierce County · forecast zone Pierce | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardAntelope County · forecast zone Antelope | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardCedar County · forecast zone Cedar | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardKnox County · forecast zone Knox | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | Winter WeatherDawes County · forecast zone Dawes | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-11 | Winter WeatherHoward County · forecast zone Howard | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-11 | Winter WeatherSherman County · forecast zone Sherman | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-11 | Winter WeatherGreeley County · forecast zone Greeley | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Nebraska
FEMA has declared 16 disasters in Nebraska for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 16 were major disasters, the latest on May 21, 2025.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4868 | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 28 |
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4786 | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 8 |
| 2019-03-21 | DR-4420 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 89 |
| 2018-06-29 | DR-4375 | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 31 |
| 2017-06-26 | DR-4321 | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 10 |
| 2013-11-26 | DR-4156 | Severe Storms, Winter Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding | 10 |
| 2010-02-25 | DR-1878 | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm | 58 |
| 2009-12-16 | DR-1864 | Severe Winter Storm | 7 |
| 2008-01-11 | DR-1739 | Severe Winter Storm | 8 |
| 2007-01-07 | DR-1674 | Severe Winter Storms | 59 |
| 2006-01-26 | DR-1627 | Severe Winter Storm | 29 |
| 2001-05-16 | DR-1373 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes | 28 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Dakota County: the county's whole recordThe Nebraska county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in NebraskaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Nebraska25,051 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Nebraska13,616 records
- High wind and dust storms in Nebraska3,739 records