Over the course of a 48-hour period centered between the late evening of Friday the 5th and late evening of Sunday the 7th, South Central Nebraska was blitzed by two completely separate, yet remarkably-similar snow events in terms of amounts and timing, each depositing a few to several inches of fairly dry, fluffy flakes. Generally speaking, each round brought 2-5 inches to most of the 24-county area, promoting 48-hour cumulative weekend totals commonly 4-10. Actually, around 80 percent of the area resided in the higher end of this range (7-10 and isolated higher), including the Tri Cities. Per dozens of NWS cooperative observers and CoCoRaHS, some of the highest 48-hour totals featured: 13.0 in far southeastern Fillmore County near Ohiowa, 10.7 in Doniphan, 10.4 at Hebron and 9.7 six miles east-southeast of Clay Center and also four miles south of Cozad. Official Tri Cities totals included: 9.3 at Grand Island, 9.0 in Hastings and 7 in Kearney. The limited portions of South Central Nebraska that tallied lesser two-day amounts under 7 were actually concentrated in both the extreme southwest counties (much of Furnas/Gosper/Harlan/Phelps) and also the extreme northeast counties (much of Nance/Polk). Winds were not a major factor during the majority of both primary snow rounds, with speeds often no higher than 10-20 MPH due to the prevailing influence of strong Arctic high pressure centered slightly to the north-through-east, along an axis from south central Canada into the Middle Mississippi Valley. However, during the latter stages of the first round between roughly sunrise and noon on the 6th, speeds spiked up a bit with a few gusts reaching 30 MPH. The combination of factors such as reasonably-light winds the majority of the time and the fact that all snow occurred over a weekend helped to mitigate widespread travel issues. The fairly dry consistency of the snow was no surprise given very cold temperatures, as highs on the 7th only topped out around 5 F across most of South Central Nebraska, kicking off what would ultimately be the overall-coldest 10-day stretch in 38 years for much of the area.
Taking a closer look at the meteorological background/timing of this multi-round event, this was a classic case of fast-moving, low-amplitude clipper systems diving east-southeast through the Central Plains, embedded within a large, broad trough encompassing much of the United States. However, what was somewhat unusual locally is that South Central Nebraska rarely receives several inches of snow from completely separate disturbances arriving only hours apart from each other. Focusing solely on Round 1, snow got underway within a few hours either side of midnight from the 5th into the 6th, peaked in intensity during the morning and largely ended by noon. While most places received no more than 5 from this round, there were a few spotty higher reports including 6.5 near Pauline in southeastern Adams County. Following an almost exactly 12-hour break in accumulating snow during much of the afternoon-evening of the 6th (including some brief peeks of sun), Round 2 followed an eerily similar theme to its predecessor, overspreading the entire area within a few hours either side of midnight from the 6th into the 7th, peaking in intensity during the morning and mostly ending by noon after leaving behind another 2-5 of accumulation in most spots. However, this time around, pesky areas of light snow/flurries actually lingered on through the afternoon and into part of the night, dropping up to around an additional inch before the curtain finally dropped on a snow-filled weekend.

Winter Weather in THAYER, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 23:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 10.4 inches occurred in Hebron and 9 inches fell in Hubbell, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 01:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 8.0 inches occurred in Minden, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in NUCKOLLS, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 22:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 9.5 inches occurred in Nelson and 6.6 inches occurred in Superior, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 05-FEB-21 23:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

A snowfall total of 9.7 inches occurred four miles south of Cozad and 7.0 inches occurred in Sumner, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 8.2 inches occurred six miles east-southeast of Lexington at the Canaday Plant and 4.0 inches occurred eight miles south of Elwood, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 7.5 inches occurred in Red Cloud, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 22:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Based on observations from surrounding counties and NOHRSC snowfall analysis, most of Merrick County likely received 4-8 inches of snow during two main rounds over a 36-48 hour period. The highest amounts likely fell in southwestern portions of the county.

Winter Storm in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 03:00:00 to 06-FEB-21 11:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Generally 4-6 inches of snow fell across the county during this round, including 5 inches near Hampton. Snow was accompanied by wind gusts up to around 30 MPH around/after sunrise on the 6th. This was the first of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 6-10 inches across most of the county including 9.6 inches four miles north of Aurora.

Winter Storm in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 03:00:00 to 06-FEB-21 11:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Generally 4-6 inches of snow fell across the county during this round, including an isolated higher report of 6.5 inches near Pauline. Snow was accompanied by wind gusts up to around 30 MPH around/after sunrise on the 6th. This was the first of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 8-10 inches across most of the county including 9.0 inches at the NWS Hastings office.

Winter Storm in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 04:00:00 to 06-FEB-21 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Generally 4-6 inches of snow fell across the county during this round. Snow was accompanied by wind gusts up to around 30 MPH around/after sunrise on the 6th. This was the first of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 8-10 inches across most of the county, with an isolated higher total of 13 inches near the eastern county line between Ohiowa and Tobias.

Winter Storm in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 04:00:00 to 06-FEB-21 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Generally 4-6 inches of snow fell across the county during this round, including 5 inches three miles north of York. Snow was accompanied by wind gusts up to around 30 MPH around/after sunrise on the 6th. This was the first of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 6-9 inches across most of the county, including 8.4 inches three miles north of York and 6.1 inches three miles west of Gresham.

Winter Storm in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 03:00:00 to 06-FEB-21 11:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Generally 4-6 inches of snow fell across the county during this round. Snow was accompanied by wind gusts up to around 30 MPH around/after sunrise on the 6th. This was the first of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 8-10 inches across most of the county, including 9.7 inches six miles east-southeast of Clay Center.

Winter Weather in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 4.5 inches occurred in Edison, 4.0 inches occurred in Wilsonville, 3.1 inches occurred in Cambridge, 2.6 inches occurred six miles north-northwest of Oxford, and 2.0 inches occurred in Beaver City, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 23:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 6.0 inches occurred two miles west of Genoa and 3.8 inches occurred in Belgrade, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 01:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 7.0 inches occurred in Franklin and 4.5 inches occurred in Naponee, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

A snowfall total of 8.5 inches occurred four miles east of Scotia and 5.9 inches occurred in Greeley, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 7.0 inches occurred at Harlan County Lake and 4.0 inches occurred two mile west of Orleans, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 00:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 4.0 inches occurred in Holdrege, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 22:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 6.2 inches occurred three miles northeast of Shelby, and 4.5 inches occurred in Osceola and in Polk, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 11:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Approximately 4-5 inches of snow fell during this round. This was the second of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 8-10 inches across most of the county, including 9.0 inches at the NWS Hastings office.

Winter Weather in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 11:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 22:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Approximately 3-5 inches of snow fell during this round. This was the second of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 6-10 inches across most of the county, including 9.6 inches four miles north of Aurora.

Winter Weather in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 11:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 22:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Approximately 3-5 inches of snow fell during this round. This was the second of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 8-10 inches across most of the county, including 9.7 inches six miles east-southeast of Clay Center.

Winter Weather in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 12:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 23:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Approximately 3-5 inches of snow fell during this round, including 3.4 inches three miles north of York . This was the second of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 7-9 inches across most of the county, including 8.4 inches three miles north of York and 6.1 inches three miles west of Gresham.

Winter Weather in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 01:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 8.5 inches occurred in Loup City and 8.1 inches fell two miles northwest of Rockville, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 12:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 23:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Approximately 3-5 inches of snow fell during this round. This was the second of two separate rounds of snow on the 6th-7th, with cumulative two-day totals of 8-10 inches across most of the county, including 9.0 inches in Geneva, 8.0 inches four miles south of Shickley and an isolated higher amount of 13.0 near the eastern county line between Ohiowa and Tobias.

Winter Weather in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 8.1 inches occurred in St. Paul, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 01:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 7.8 inches occurred in Miller, 7.6 inches occurred in Ravenna, and 7.0 inches occurred at Kearney airport, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 10.7 inches occurred in Doniphan and 9.3 inches occurred near Central Nebraska Regional Airport, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.

Winter Weather in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 06-FEB-21 02:00:00 to 07-FEB-21 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A snowfall total of 9.2 inches occurred two miles west of Arcadia, 8.0 inches occurred in Ord, and 7.0 inches occurred in North Loup, during two main rounds of snow over a 36-48 hour period.