Snow is on the radar for the Midwest! Many states are being pummeled by snow this winter including Nebraska. In previous years, Nebraska has received little snowfall, but for this winter residents will be seeing a lot more snow in their backyards.
According to the official climate records for Lincoln, Nebraska, 2022 had 5.9 inches of snow recorded while 2025 had 16 inches recorded. This is a huge difference in snowfall in the span of three years and there are clear comparisons between these years and the snow fallen in the winter seasons.
One of the biggest snow storms in 2025 hit the Midwest hard the week of Thanksgiving. The states hit included Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, most of which got hit with multiple inches of snow. This snow blanketed the highways and made travel dangerous for the many families traveling home from Thanksgiving. While snowfall in 2022 occurred well after that time and affected a smaller number of travelers at a time, the areas were affected for extended periods of time compared to 2025.
The intensity of the storm is another factor that affects the community. In 2025 the Thanksgiving snow storm dropped moderate amounts of snow, and it had strong winds blowing snow around roads and sidewalks. This caused slick roads for travelers and traffic delays along major roads. However, in 2022 the snow storm was much more severe. This storm had blizzard conditions and high winds reducing driving visibility. Lasting longer than the 2025 storm, these blizzard conditions made driving dangerous for travelers.
Another factor affecting travelers is duration of storm. Both of these storms took place for several days, but the storms had different amounts of incoming snow. The 2025 storm was more short-lived than the 2022 storm, and improvements started to be shown around two days after the storm. In contrast, the 2022 storm needed multiple days to start showing signs of recovery. This storm had less snowfall than the 2025 storm, but it fell over a longer period of time making this storm’s duration longer and causing a longer recovery period.
Airports and highways such as I-80 faced several disruptions causing an delay in travels. The 2025 storm caused travel time to increase because of the many other people traveling on that week. In 2022, travel was disrupted because of the widespread effects of the storm. The low visibility and highway closures made travel more difficult even though it affected less travelers. These impacts caused school disruptions and hazardous drives in Western and Northern Nebraska.
While the 2025 Thanksgiving snowstorm caused more notable disruptions because of the holiday presence, it was more short-lived than the storms of 2022. But, why were the storms worse in 2022 than 2025? According to the official climate records for Lincoln, Nebraska, snow storms have had a downward trend in snow fallen. Looking at the same source, 2018 through 2021 have had heavy snowfall while more recent winters have received less snow.
Another short answer to this question is global warming. In the past couple years, Nebraska has recorded temperatures over 100 degrees lasting multiple days per year.
Because of these temperatures, Nebraska has experienced fluctuating weather patterns. It is still possible for Nebraska to experience snowstorms even with global warming, but it also may cause more severe weather. When moisture is stuck in the atmosphere, cold air arrives and snow storms produce heavy snowfall in a short amount of time. While the atmosphere heats, Nebraska can expect fewer storms overall with only one or two projected intense weather events. These types of weather events will make travel extremely difficult for most individuals regardless of holiday presence.
Warmer temperatures are also responsible for snow in late fall and early spring. Because of these warmer temperatures cities have longer, colder winters. In other words, there is a shorter winter season but a larger amount of late season snowfall.
Warm air increases the chance of freezing rain or sleet, such as that recorded in both the 2022 and 2025 storms. Ice storms are more dangerous compared to normal snow because it disrupts the power grid and the roads. These types of storms will become more common than snow storms in incoming years due to the excessive heat.
These recent storms show that winters in Nebraska are beginning to cause problems having less frequent yet more intense late-season snow and ice fall. Those traveling through Nebraska will need to prepare for increasing weather difficulty and delay compared to years before now. These events suggest that disruptive winter weather is in the forecast for Nebraska in future years.
