Back-to-Back Pacific Storms to Impact the West Coast; Heavy Snow in the Central Appalachians

Back-to-back powerful Pacific storm systems to impact the Pacific Northwest and northern California through the end of this week with heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow. A strong, long-duration atmospheric river will accompany the Pacific storms, bringing excessive rainfall and flash flooding to southwest Oregon and northwest California through the week. Read More >

Overview:

Click on image for link to radar loop, starting at 1:30 PM Friday,
December 28th and ending at 7 PM Sunday, December 29th.
The NWS Hastings coverage area is outlined in orange with "GID"
in the middle, the interstates are in red.

Between the evening of Fri. Dec. 27 and the early-morning of Mon. Dec. 30, a powerful and complex winter storm brought a wide variety of weather to the NWS Hastings coverage area. Most notably, this storm dumped 4-13" of snow within several counties mainly along/north of Highway 6 and along/west of Highway 281, as northwest winds frequently gusting 30-50+ MPH promoted significant blowing/drifting and resultant travel issues. In addition, liquid equivalent precipitation totals (from combined rain+snow) proved quite impressive for late December, with most places receiving at least 1-2". Put another way, some places saw as much precipitation from this one weather system as would "normally" be expected through the entirety of meteorological winter (Dec-Feb)!

Snow highlights (see tab below for more info and totals):
The highest totals of 8-13" focused from the Tri Cities area north and westward, highlighted by 13.2" near Arcadia, 13" at North Loup and 12.2" in Ord. In the Tri Cities, Kearney "crushed" the other two cities with 11.1" (Grand Island and Hastings "only" tallied 3.7"). The majority of snow fell during the evening and overnight of the 28th into the morning of the 29th. However, widespread light snow and strong winds of 30-50+ MPH persisted through the day of the 29th and into the morning of the 30th, which is when blowing/drifting snow impacts peaked in intensity. Many motorists became stranded overnight (some for several hours) as several highways closed due to drifting and near-blizzard conditions. This included Interstate 80 from Grand Island westward, which closed around midnight on the 30th and did not fully re-open until late-afternoon.

Total precipitation highlights (see tab below for more info and totals:
The vast majority of our 30-county area received at least 1-2", with the highest concentration of amounts over 1.50" focused from the Tri Cities south and eastward.
A few of the very-highest local amounts occurred in north central KS, included 2.78" near Lebanon and 2.34" in Plainville. Although there was some light accumulation of freezing rain within roughly the northwestern 2/3 of our area, most icing occurred on elevated surfaces and did cause major travel issues (compared to the snow). Fortunately, the ground was not frozen, allowing the substantial winter rain to soak in and not cause flooding. The steadiest/heaviest rain occurred during the evening-overnight hours of the 27th into the 28th, a full 24-hours before significant snow materialized.

(Please refer to the tabs below for more detailed information regarding this event, including maps, tables and photos from our social media pages)

Snow Totals
Liquid Totals
Photos

Snowfall:

The image of storm total snow amounts below was compiled from a combination of reports from
NWS Cooperative Observers and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

APPROXIMATE Storm Total Snowfall Amounts
(Dec. 27-30, 2019)

The table of storm total snow amounts below was compiled from a combination of reports from
NWS Cooperative Observers (COOP) and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

Location	Snow Totals
2 W Arcadia	13.2
North Loup	13.0
Ord	12.2
Kearney (airport)	11.1
Ravenna	11.0
Loup City	10.0
Miller	9.5
Greeley	7.7
St. Paul	7.2
Holdrege	6.0
2 SW Grand Island	6.0
1 W Orleans	4.3
Wilsonville	4.0
Cambridge	4.0
4 N Hastings (NWS Office)	3.7
Grand Island (airport)	3.7
Doniphan	3.1
Jewell, KS	3.0
Edison	3.0
6 E Phillipsburg, KS	2.0
Franklin	1.7
3 N York	1.7
7 NNE Natoma, KS	1.6
Smith Center, KS	1.6
Burr Oak, KS	1.5
Logan, KS	1.5
Lebanon, KS	1.2
Beloit, KS	1.0
Ionia, KS	0.7
Cawker City, KS	0.5
2 NNW Hunter, KS	0.5
Bradshaw	0.5
4 WNW Plainville, KS	0.4
6 ESE Clay Center	0.4
Superior	0.4
Hebron	0.2

Liquid Equivalent Precipitation Totals:

The image of storm total snow amounts below was compiled from a combination of reports from
NWS Cooperative Observers and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

APPROXIMATE Storm Total Liquid Equivalent (Dec. 27-30, 2019)

The table of storm total snow amounts below was compiled from a combination of reports from
NWS Cooperative Observers (COOP) and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

Location	Liquid Totals
7 NW Lebanon, KS	2.78
Plainville, KS	2.34
Lebanon, KS	2.19
Beloit, KS	2.17
2 S Hastings	2.12
4 WNW Plainville	2.10
Smith Center, KS	2.01
3 NE Shelby	1.87
Kearney (airport)	1.85
Burr Oak, KS	1.82
Nelson	1.81
Jewell, KS	1.81
Hebron	1.81
Cawker City, KS	1.79
6 E Phillipsburg, KS	1.79
St. Paul	1.78
2 W Arcadia	1.78
7 NNE Natoma, KS	1.77
Ionia, KS	1.76
1 NNE Osborne, KS	1.73
Hastings (official NWS total)	1.71
Franklin	1.68
3 N York	1.68
Doniphan	1.66
Osceola	1.63
6 ESE Clay Center	1.62
Bradshaw	1.57
Superior	1.55
10 WNW Stockton, KS	1.48
Ravenna	1.43
Grand Island (airport)	1.42
Ord	1.34
Loup City	1.32
Clay Center	1.32
Logan, KS	1.15
1 W Orleans	1.10
Wilsonville	1.05
Miller	0.99
Greeley	0.97
Cambridge	0.87
Edison	0.83

Photos:


Near Boelus Photo by Paula Krance Rathman.	Near Cairo Photo by Toni Durby.	Near Elm Creek Photo by Brandon Devroy.	Near Grand Island Photo by Kent Hollman.


4 W Cairo Photo by Melissa Grabowski.	I-80 Near Cozad Photo by NE State Patrol.	Kearney Photo by Heather Brummels.	Near Kearney Photo by Kent McConnell


Hastings Photo by Jane Marie.	Hastings Photo by Michelle Musgrave.	Near Heartwell Photo by Sherry Reichstein.	I-80 Near Kearney Photo by Russel Psota.


Near Kearney Photo by Sheila Pickrel.	Near Loup City Photo by Charlsie Norseen.	Near Ord Photo by Rebecca Howard.	Near Upland Photo by Gloria Hain.


Near Minden Photo by Derek Ingram.	Minden Photo by Court Webber.	Near Wolbach Photo by Abe Klassen.


Near Overton Photo by Audrey Riebschlager.	Near Scotia Photo by Cilinda Meyer-Scheideler.	Near Shelton Photo by Cindy Van Meter Walker.	Near Wood River Photo by Michelle Hayden Wiseman.

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Back-to-Back Pacific Storms to Impact the West Coast; Heavy Snow in the Central Appalachians

December 27-29, 2019: Significant Rain Most Areas, Followed By 4-13" of Snow For Much of South Central Nebraska