Mid-February 2021 unleashed a relentless blast of brutal cold, the likes of which South Central Nebraska had not endured in several decades. For the majority of the 24-county area, the 10-day stretch from the 7th-16th marked the overall-coldest 10 days in nearly 38 years...since December 1983 (based on average/mean temperature). In addition to various other official NWS stations (including both automated airport sensors and cooperative observers), this fact rang true for Grand Island and Hastings airports, where the 10-day average temperature from the 7th-16th was -4.7 and -5.5 degrees (F), respectively. Following are various other cold temperature tidbits specifically for Grand Island (126 years of temperature records) and Hastings (114 years of records), although very similar realities applied elsewhere within South Central Nebraska. At Grand Island, the average temperature between the 7th-16th was an incredible 33 degrees below the 30-year normal, as daily highs over the course of the 10 days ranged from -7 to +10, while daily lows ranged from -27 to +1. Furthermore, Grand Island notched nine straight days of sub-zero lows between the 8th-16th (longest such streak since Dec. 1989), and both Grand Island and Hastings spent OVER 60-CONSECUTIVE HOURS BELOW ZERO between the early morning of the 14th and the afternoon/evening of the 16th (had not happened since at least Feb. 1989). At Hastings, the high temperature of -8 on the 15th set a new February record for coldest daily high and was only one-degree short of the record-coldest high (for any month) of -9 set in Dec. 1989. Perhaps most impressively, Hastings plunged to -30 for the low on the 16th, tying its all-time coldest reading first observed way back in Jan. 1912. A few long-time NWS coop observer stations actually set outright all-time coldest low temperatures on the 16th, including York (-34), Superior (-33) and Osceola (-31). Greeley and Ord airport (ASOS) matched the York reading of -34 for the outright-coldest official temperature of this particular cold snap. Factoring in winds (albeit relatively light through the majority of the 10-day period), the most frigid wind chill readings occurred between the evening of the 14th and the morning of the 16th, prompting a long-fuse Wind Chill Warning for all of South Central Nebraska. On both mornings of the 15th and 16th, dozens of automated stations (official and unofficial) recorded wind chill values well down into the -30 to -45 range, and even a few that breached -50. While each morning registered fairly similar and dangerously-cold values area-wide, the morning of the 15th featured both the coldest known official wind chill (-54 at Ord airport ASOS) and unofficial wind chill (-55 from a NDOT sensor two miles south of Elm Creek).
Focusing on impacts, the local South Central Nebraska area was just a small portion of an expansive swath of the central and southern United States that battled this historic cold, as sub-freezing temperatures surged all the way into south Texas (even promoting a light coating of snow at Galveston). This cold outbreak put a considerable strain on not only the local, but especially the regional power and energy industry. While South Central Nebraska avoided more serious/longer-lasting power disruptions that ravaged many southern states, fairly brief rolling blackouts (typically around 30 minutes) occurred within the area on the 15th-16th, as called for by the Southwest Power Pool (the independent regional transmission organization that manages the electric grid and wholesale power market for portions of 14 central and southern states, including Nebraska). Turning to the large-scale meteorological picture, this prolonged/intense cold outbreak was driven in the mid-upper levels by a parade of troughs circulating around a quasi-stationary parent vortex churning over southern Canada, each one further reinforcing/intensifying the magnitude of Arctic air allowed to spill southward through the central United States. At the surface, persistent, predominantly northerly flow prevailed for days on end as a sprawling Arctic high increasingly-dominated much of the central and northeastern United States. Also contributing to the magnitude of persistent cold in South Central Nebraska was increasingly-deep snow cover, as a series of snow events gradually boosted the average snow depth across the area from generally 2-5 inches on the 5th (just prior to the onset of the Arctic outbreak) to a widespread 10-15 inches by the 15th-16th (during the heart of the very-coldest readings). Concluding with a brief rundown of how South Central Nebraska finally crawled out from underneath the 10-day crush of ruthless cold, improvement finally got underway on the 17th and trended upward for several days thereafter, with high temperatures at Grand Island/Hastings recovering into the teens on the 17th, 20s on the 18th-19th, 30s on the 20th-21st (ending a 15-day sub-freezing streak), 40s on the 22nd and finally into the 50s on the 23rd (some parts of South Central Nebraska even reached the 60s that day).

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -55 degrees two miles south of Elm Creek; -53 degrees four miles south of Shelton; -46 degrees Kearney Airport AWOS; -43 degrees three miles east of Kearney and 1 mile east of Odessa; -40 degrees six miles east of Kearney; -39 degrees two miles southwest of Shelton; -38 degrees one mile south of Riverdale; -35 degrees at Miller. On the morning of Feb 16th: -54 degrees, 4 miles south of Shelton; -47 degrees, 2 miles south of Elm Creek;-42 degrees, 2 miles southwest of Shelton; -42 degrees, 1 mile east of Odessa; -39 degrees, Kearney Airport AWOS; -37 degrees, Miller; -33 degrees, 6 miles east of Kearney; -30 degrees, 3 miles east-southeast of Odessa.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -49 degrees Lexington Airport AWOS; -49 degrees nine miles southeast of Brady; -45 degrees eight miles north of Cozad; -45 degrees four miles south of Lexington; -39 degrees at Willow Island.
On the morning of Feb. 16th: -41 degrees four miles south of Lexington; -41 three miles west of Lexington; -39 nine miles southeast of Brady, -39 at Willow Island; -38 degrees eight miles north of Cozad; -38 degrees three miles east of Overton; -36 degrees at Lexington Airport AWOS.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -45 degrees two miles east of Smithfield. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -39 degrees two miles east of Smithfield.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -44 degrees at Hastings Airport ASOS; -42 degrees two miles south of Prosser; -38 degrees two miles east-southeast of Juniata; -38 degrees two miles east of Hastings. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -41 degrees at Hastings Airport ASOS; -40 degrees, one mile north-northwest of Hastings; -39 degrees two miles east-southeast of Juniata; -36 degrees two miles south of Prosser.; -30 degrees two miles east of Hastings.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Nance County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -50 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Polk County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -50 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Furnas County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -40 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Fillmore County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -40 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th:-42 degrees at Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport ASOS; -40 degrees three miles west of Alda; -40 degrees five miles southeast of Wood River; -35 degrees four miles west of Wood River; -31 degrees at Doniphan; -31 degrees three miles southwest of Grand Island.
On the morning of Feb. 16th: -47 degrees five miles southeast of Wood River; -44 degrees three west of Alda; -44 degrees at Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport ASOS; -38 degrees in Doniphan; -38 degrees four miles north-northeast of Doniphan.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -54 degrees at Ord Evelyn Sharp Field ASOS; -48 degrees two miles north of Ord. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -39 degrees at Ord Airport ASOS; -37 degrees two 2 miles north of Ord.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -45 degrees three miles south of York; -41 degrees at York Airport AWOS; -41 degrees three miles east-northeast of Henderson; -34 degrees two miles west of York. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -50 degrees three miles south of York, -30 degrees two miles west of York.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -43 degrees five miles north of Holdrege; -38 degrees at Holdrege Airport AWOS. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -44 degrees five miles north of Holdrege.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -41 degrees three miles west of Central City; -31 degrees two miles southwest of Chapman. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -44 degrees three miles west of Central City.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -40 degrees at Aurora Airport AWOS; -40 degrees three miles south-southwest of Aurora. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -43 degrees at Aurora Airport AWOS; -39 degrees three miles south-southwest of Aurora.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -41 degrees three miles east of Guide Rock. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -40 degrees three miles east of Guide Rock.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -40 degrees five miles west of Ragan; -36 degrees in Alma. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -40 degrees five miles west of Ragan; -33 degrees in Alma.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in THAYER, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -38 degrees four miles west of Davenport; -36 degrees three miles east of Carleton; -32 degrees at Hebron Airport AWOS. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -42 degrees four miles west of Davenport.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in NUCKOLLS, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -34 degrees in Superior. Similar readings would have also occurred on the morning of Feb. 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -54 degrees two miles west-northwest of Fairfield; -42 degrees four miles southwest of Harvard; -41 degrees in Glenvil. On the morning of Feb. 16th: 37 degrees four miles southwest of Harvard; -32 degrees two miles west-northwest of Fairfield.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -43 degrees near Campbell. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -41 degrees near Campbell.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

The following are the coldest recorded wind chills for the period: on the morning of Feb. 15th: -44 degrees five miles northeast of Axtell. On the morning of Feb. 16th: -40 degrees five miles northeast of Axtell,-38 degrees two miles east-northeast of Axtell.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Greeley County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -50 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Sherman County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -50 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 07-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 16-FEB-21 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Based on multiple observations from nearby counties, all of Howard County likely observed very cold wind chills of at least -30 to -50 degrees on the mornings of Feb. 15th and 16th.