National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Winter storms tracking across the United States have left the western...northern and eastern United States with record snowfall so far this year.  For central and south central Nebraska and north central Kansas it has been a different story.  In the Tri-Cities of Grand Island...Kearney and Hastings...measurable snow has been almost impossible to find.  Only Kearney and Hastings have received measurable snow (a tenth of an inch or more)...Kearney...0.1 inch on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning...and at the NWS Office 4 miles north of Hastings...0.1 inch from a localized freak snow shower that was enhanced with heat and moisture from the local ethanol plant to make it generate snow on November 23rd.  There was also 0.8 inches of snow that fell in Hastings on Dec 18th, while Kearney and Grand Island missed out on this localized event. The Grand Island Regional Airport has only received a trace of snow so far this winter.

A review of climatological records dating back to the mid 1890's reveals that to receive measurable snow so late in the winter season is not that uncommon.  The tables below provides statistics for late season measurable snow (the colored values are the current  records.)