Now that it's mid-April, winter is a distant memory for many. Of course, we can't say winter weather is definitively over; it has snowed as late as May before, but the bulk of it is over. So, how did the Omaha region fare? Well, it was about what you would expect from this winter. Let's dive into the data.
For temperature, the winter of 2024-2025 (defined as running from December 1 to March 1) saw temperatures near average. It was not too warm nor too cold. Omaha's average winter temperature is around 26.7 degrees, and this winter we were at 26.0 degrees. This is a difference of -0.6 degrees, or near average.
For snowfall, the official snow total at Eppley Airfield was 17.4". This has placed the winter of 2024-2025 as below average for snowfall, continuing a string of below-average snowfalls that goes back to the winter of 2020-2021. Or, to put it in another way, this is the 4th consecutive winter that has seen below-average snowfall.
Most of our neighborhoods saw below-average snowfall, the exception being northeast Nebraska into western Iowa, where some heavier snow bands this season brought some totals over 30" in some spots! Another hotspot was around Falls City, where a winter storm early in the new year brought 16" to the city!
Now that the broader details are out of the way, let's look at some of the specific elements that made this winter memorable (or not memorable).
To start, it did not snow for a while in Omaha. Up until February 12, Omaha had only 1" of snowfall, which was the record driest winter up to that point. It was so dry that cities like Dallas, New Orleans, and even Pensacola, Florida, had seen significantly more snow than Omaha up to that point. Impressive down south, but not so in the Heartland.
We did finally see snow when the pattern flipped in mid-February, when 3 snowstorms dropped several inches in the Omaha region. You can see the details of these storms in these blog posts linked for storm 1, storm 2, and storm 3.
Unlike some recent March's when we warmed quickly, this March has some of our most impactful winter weather in recent memory. Eastern Nebraska and western Iowa saw two blizzards! The first came on the 4th-5th, when 60-70 mph winds and several inches of snow fell. While impactful, this blizzard was a precursor to the second, much more impactful blizzard on the 19th. The heavy, wet snow, combined with 60-65 mph winds, led to over 100k people without power, and extensive tree/power line damage over eastern Nebraska. The severe damage prompted Governor Jim Pillen to declare 27 counties in Nebraska disaster areas, saying it was one of the most impactful winter storms in recent memory.
Speaking of wind, if you thought this March was windier than usual, you would be correct! It was one of the windiest March's on record, not just for Nebraska & Iowa, but across much of the central US. In Omaha, our average wind gusts during the month were 35 mph, making it the gustiest March since data have been kept in the 1940s.
Between our two blizzards, we even dealt with severe weather in the form of damaging winds on the 14th. This was connected to the same storm system that brought a horrific tornado outbreak to Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The tornado outbreak of March 14-15 was the worst one seen in March in US history, and contributed to the highest number of tornadoes ever seen in the month.
Whether it was the blizzards or loved ones in the path of tornadoes, this March, and by extension this winter, is not soon to be forgotten in the United States.
