Dec. 8, 2011 - Widespread 2-4 Inches Of Snow Across Much Of South Central Nebraska

If you have any photos of the snow you would like to share, please feel free to send them to our webmaster e-mail account at: w-gid.webmaster@noaa.gov
or post them to our new Facebook page. Please let us know where the photo was taken, and at least an approximate time. Thanks!

December 8, 2011

Another Round of Snow
Across the Area

To the right is a National Weather Service Radar loop, valid from
5:30 am to 9:30 pm CST, Dec. 8th.

The NWS Hastings coverage area is located within the orange
outlined area labeled "GID".

(Click Radar Loop To Enlarge)

Summary:

A quick moving upper level shortwave disturbance moving in from the northwest, in combination with a strong upper level jet stream, resulted in a prolonged light to moderate snow event across much of South Central Nebraska on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. Although the highest amounts were only in the 3-4 inch range and targeted areas near and north of Interstate 80, these amounts ended up being about twice as much as originally forecast. North Central Kansas largely missed out on the snow, with most places barely reporting a dusting. This snow event, combined with the first widespread snowfall of the season that occurred several days earlier on Dec. 3, left much of South Central Nebraska under 5-7 inches of total snow cover.

Fortunately, northerly winds across the region were fairly light during this event, with speeds generally around 10 to 15 mph, but there were still some reductions in visibilities. Snow began shortly after sunrise for many areas, and then persisted through the day before finally coming to an end during the late evening hours.

Below is a table of selected snowfall totals reported by NWS Cooperative Obeservers:

Location	Snowfall (Inches)
4 SE Phillips	4.0
Grand Island	3.9
4 N Hastings (NWS Office)	3.7
Ravenna	3.5
3 NE Shelby	3.5
Osceola	3.3
Wolbach	3.2
St. Paul	3.0
Holdrege	3.0
Fullerton	3.0
Loup City	3.0
3 N York	3.0
Greeley	3.0
Miller	2.9
Arcadia	2.5
8 S Elwood	2.5
Fairmont	2.5
6 SSE Lexington (Canaday Steam Plant)	2.0
Clay Center	2.0
Bradshaw	2.0
6 ESE Clay Center	2.0
Ord	2.0
4 NE Kearney (Kearney Airport)	1.5
7 NW Oxford	1.5
Minden	1.1
4 SW Blue Hill	1.0
Cozad	1.0
Cambridge	0.8
Wilsonville	0.5

Below is a table of selected snowfall totals reported by NeRAIN Observers:

Location	Snowfall (Inches)
2.7 ESE Genoa	3.5
4.4 N Litchfield	3.1
0.4 WSW Dannebrog	3.0
4 E Scotia	3.0
0.2 NE Benedict	2.5
7.2 E Cozad	1.6
Holstein	1.5
4.8 WNW Elm Creek	1.5
1.1 ENE McCool Junction	1.5
2.1 WSW Tobias	1.0
6.1 S Wilcox	1.0
4.5 SSE Hildreth	1.0

Below is a map showing snowfall totals from NWS Cooperative Observers as well as observers from the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network (NeRAIN) and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). This snowfall map is a "best-approximation" of actual measured amounts. Some reports may not be included, and amounts reflected on the map may not match locations exactly due to the effects of interpolation and "smoothing" used to create the maps. These preliminary data may contain errors.

This page was composed by the staff at the National Weather Service in Hastings, Nebraska.

Return to News Archive

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Dec. 8, 2011 - Widespread 2-4 Inches Of Snow Across Much Of South Central Nebraska