Thanks to a somewhat-unexpectedly potent combination of intense northwest winds and relatively-minimal snow, mainly the daytime hours on this Wednesday featured several hours of near-blizzard to outright-blizzard conditions across most of South Central Nebraska, shutting down several highways for a time and snarling pre-Christmas travel. Various law enforcement agencies reported dozens of traffic accidents and slide-offs (fortunately none fatal within the local area) and the following main highways were reported closed at various times: Interstate 80 between York and Kearney, Highway 281 between Grand Island and Hastings, Highway 30 from Grand Island-Kearney, Highway 34 from Grand Island-York, Highway 6 from Hastings-Kenesaw and Highway 81 near Shelby (all had re-opened by late afternoon). In Adams County, snowplows were pulled off the road for several hours due to very poor visibility. As for areal coverage of white-out conditions, the worst/longest-lasting issues focused within counties both along/north of Highway 6 and also along/east of Highway 183 (including the Tri Cities). Within this area, most places endured at least semi-frequent blizzard conditions for 6-8 hours while accumulating 1-3 of snow, while far northern counties (such as Valley/Greeley) saw blizzard conditions for as long as 10-12 hours and received slightly-higher snow amounts up to 3-4. Meanwhile, the situation was not as severe within far southern/southwest counties especially near the Kansas border, where snow was lighter/less-intense compared to farther north (amounts mainly under 1) and didn't last as long. Although the magnitude of wintry precipitation/blizzard impacts varied somewhat across South Central Nebraska, all 24 counties dealt with at least 9-12 hours of feisty northwest winds, commonly sustained 30-40 MPH and gusting 45-60+ MPH. A few of the highest official peak gusts at airports included: 76 MPH at Ord and 61 MPH at Grand Island, Hastings and York. While there were no known reports of substantial wind damage, NWS observers near both Arcadia and Shelby noted that several small tree branches were downed.
Getting into more detail regarding event timing and meteorological background, the main driving force in the mid-upper levels was the passage of a deep, slightly-positively-tilted trough, with its primary vorticity maximum tracking from the Central Rockies on the evening of the 22nd, and then across the heart of Nebraska-Kansas during the day on the 23rd before departing into the Upper Midwest/Upper Great Lakes through the evening-overnight. At the surface, the associated low pressure center gradually intensified from around 994 millibars as it crossed Nebraska during the overnight-early morning of the 22nd-23rd, to 988 millibars by mid-day in the IA-MN-WI border area, and then maintained intensity while reaching Lake Superior overnight. Locally, the initial surge of strong northwest winds crossed South Central Nebraska during the pre-dawn of the 23rd behind the main synoptic cold front, but gusts largely held under 50 MPH. The overall-strongest winds ended up occurring between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, corresponding to the peak surface pressure gradient between the departing/deepening low and strong high pressure nosing in from the west-northwest (for a few hours the west-to-east gradient across the state of Nebraska averaged near 25 millibars!) As for snowfall timing, an initial, narrow band swept across most of the area during the pre-dawn hours, but the primary, broad zone of mainly light-to-moderate snow (with brief heavier bursts) gradually overspread South Central Nebraska from west-northwest to east-southeast during the morning, eventually departing in similar fashion during the afternoon. Actual falling/accumulating snow ended across most of the area between 2-4 p.m., but lingering blowing snow and ground blizzard conditions held on for a few more hours...until gusts diminished more consistently to around 30 MPH-or-less after nightfall. From a forecast review perspective, the intense winds and at least minor blowing snow impacts were fairly well-anticipated, as a High Wind Warning was issued for the entire area 12-18 hours in advance and a Winter Weather Advisory (for the majority of the area) was issued 6-18 hours out. However, especially the southward extent of accumulating snow and the resultant potential for all-out blizzard conditions was not as well foreseen (especially as far south as the Interstate 80/Highway 6 corridors), with several counties not placed under official Blizzard Warnings until rather late in the game. For sure, one of the biggest takeaways/reminders from this event was that even minimal snowfall can wreak havoc on travel in the presence of powerful winds.

High Wind in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The NWS cooperative observer near Shelby reported numerous small tree branches blown down. The intense winds, combined with snow, also promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gusts of the day included 62 MPH, which was recorded at 2:33 PM by a mesonet station located 1 mile northwest of Wood River, and 61 MPH, which was recorded at 1:28 PM by the Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport ASOS. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gust of the day was 60 MPH, which was recorded at 10:55 AM by a mesonet station located 2 miles north-northwest of Gothenburg. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

High Wind in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gust of the day was 61 MPH, which was recorded at 2:15 PM by the York Airport AWOS. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in THAYER, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

High Wind in NUCKOLLS, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

High Wind in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

High Wind in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

High Wind in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

High Wind in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county.

High Wind in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 08:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gust of the day was 59 MPH, which was recorded at 8:45 AM by a mesonet station located 1 mile north of Oxford.

High Wind in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 55.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gust of the day was 63 MPH, which was recorded at 1:16 PM by a mesonet station located 6 miles south-southeast of Kearney. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gusts of the day included 62 MPH, which was recorded at both 7:07 AM and 8:07 AM by a mesonet station located 1 mile southwest of Roseland, and 61 MPH, which was recorded at 1:58 PM by the Hastings Airport ASOS. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gust of the day was 58 MPH, which was recorded at 2:20 PM by a mesonet station located 4 miles east of Pauline. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with light snow, resulted in near-blizzard conditions at times.

Blizzard in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 04:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 4 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts exceeding 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. A CoCoRaHS observer from 9 miles northwest of Ord reported a total of 4.0 inches. The Cooperative Observer from Ord reported a total of 3.1 inches.

Blizzard in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 05:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 4 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. A CoCoRaHS observer from Spalding reported a total of 4.0 inches.

Blizzard in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 06:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative observer 2 miles west of Genoa reported a total of 2.0 inches.

Blizzard in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer 3 miles northeast of Shelby reported a total of 2.6 inches, while the Cooperative Observer in Osceola reported a total of 2.2 inches.

Blizzard in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Based on surrounding observations, snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred.

Blizzard in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer from St. Paul reported a total of 2.3 inches.

Blizzard in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 08:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer from Loup City reported a total of 2.8 inches.

Blizzard in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 10:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer 2 miles west of Gresham reported a total of 2.0 inches, while the Cooperative Observer 3 miles north of York reported a total of 1.2 inches.

Blizzard in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 10:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 18:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer from 4 miles south of Shickley reported a total of 1.0 inch.

Blizzard in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 10:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer from 6 miles east-southeast of Clay Center reported a total of 1.0 inch.

Blizzard in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 10:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer from 4 miles north of Aurora reported a total of 2.6 inches.

Blizzard in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. Cooperative Observer totals included 1.5 inches at the Kearney Airport, 1.1 inches at Miller, and 1.0 inch at Ravenna.

Blizzard in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. The Cooperative Observer in Minden reported a total of 1.6 inches.

Blizzard in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 10:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. A total of 1.1 inches was reported at the NWS Hastings office located 4 miles north of Hastings. A NWS employee reported a total of 1.3 inches on the south side of Hastings.

Blizzard in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 09:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Based on surrounding observations, snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the county, and combined with wind gusts near 60 MPH, blizzard conditions occurred. A total of only 0.8 inch was reported at the Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport.

High Wind in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 05:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 66.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Periodic gusts exceeding 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The peak gust of the day was 76 MPH, which was recorded at 11:51 AM by the Ord Airport ASOS. The NWS cooperative observer near Arcadia reported several small tree limbs blown down. Also, the intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 05:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 05:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.

High Wind in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 23-DEC-20 05:00:00 to 23-DEC-20 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Based on surrounding observations, periodic gusts near 60 MPH and sustained speeds near 40 MPH occurred across the county. The intense winds, combined with snow, promoted blizzard conditions.