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Snow, wind and cold blast Nebraska for second time this week

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Snow, wind and cold blast Nebraska for second time this week


More snow is blasting eastern Nebraska for the second time this week, but this time, it’s coming with gusty winds and frigid temperatures.

That’s made a busy week for Lincoln snowplow driver Brett Bratrsovsky, who has already worked multiple 12 hour shifts, including 16 hours on Thursday.

While the early week storm had warmer temperatures and wetter snow, Friday’s accumulation has been colder and drier, making it easier to plow. But the wind is a problem.

Brett Bratrovsky showcased snow’s nature while driving his snowplow down Lincoln’s 84th Street Friday morning.

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“Right now we’re only going 20 miles an hour,” he said. “We’re still kicking up this much snow because it’s that light and fluffy.”

Clayton Engelman, transportation maintenance coordinator for the city of Lincoln, says Friday’s storm has the rare combination of significant snow accumulation and brutally cold wind chills.

“I do not remember a storm, in recent memory at least, that is both this heavy and this cold that we’ve competed with,” Engelman said.

The snow is expected to clear up, but the wind and cold will intensify over the weekend, with wind chills as low as -40 predicted for Sunday morning.



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The western US is in a significant ‘snow drought’: what it means for neighbors in Nebraska and Iowa

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The western US is in a significant ‘snow drought’: what it means for neighbors in Nebraska and Iowa


You may not be surprised, but winter in Nebraska and Iowa has been dry…again.

On average, we see about 16″ of snow up to early February. This winter, Omaha has received 6.5″. Not as bad as last year, but nowhere near our seasonal average. We are in a ‘snow drought’, but we are not alone.

The hotspots for snow this year have been to our east and south, leaving much of the western US high and dry. In fact, the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana are experiencing some of the driest winters on record.

Why is this? Ridging in the atmosphere has kept winter storms away from the west and favored the east. Likewise, a series of rainstorms in early January melted much of the snowpack, which means less to melt come spring.

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You can see this in these two images. The first shows the “snow water equivalent (SWE)” over the west, which is the water content in the snowpack. The numbers are in %. Anything below 100% is below average, anything above 100% is above average. This time last year, much of the West was seeing above-average snowpacks.

USDA

2025 Snow Water Equivalent numbers over the western United States.

This year, nearly every station is well below average.

2026 SWE in West.png

USDA

2026 Snow Water Equivalent map for the western United States

This is shown in the satellite imagery of the western US snowpack. Last year, the snowpack was quite healthy.

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2025 Satellite Image.jpg

NASA Worldview

Satellite image from 2025 depicting a healthy snowpack over the western US (NOTE: Some of the white is due to cloud cover)

This year, it’s a much different story, with only the tallest mountains having any snow.

2026 Satellite Image.jpg

NASA Worldview

Satellite image from 2026 depicting a barren snowpack over the western US (NOTE: Some of the white is due to cloud cover)

So, what does this mean for Nebraska and Iowa? In the short-term, disappointed skiiers, sledders, and kids, alongside happy drivers.

However, in the long term, the lack of moisture out west could be a serious concern.

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Take the Platte River in Nebraska. The Platte gets a lot of its water from snow runoff in Colorado and Wyoming. If those states see little snow, there is less water that flows into the river. Since the reservoirs in Nebraska are already low, this could create some water issues come the summer.

Likewise, runoff into the Missouri River will be lower, with the Army Corps of Engineers predicting a lower runoff in 2026. This could impact river levels, which widens into impacted river travel & recreational activities.

While this sounds doom and gloom now, it’s only early February. We are just entering the snowiest time of the season for many of these places. All we need is a pattern change, and the snow issues out west could go away. Time will tell.





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HUSKERS SOFTBALL Recap – We’ll Take That Split: #9 Nebraska Upsets #1 Texas 8-5!!

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HUSKERS SOFTBALL Recap – We’ll Take That Split: #9 Nebraska Upsets #1 Texas 8-5!!


As much as people think Jordy Frahm was unbeatable on the mound last season, I can assure you she was not.

There was the 1/3 of an inning 6-run beating at Ohio State. And there was a 3rd inning 5-run meltdown at Iowa City which included her drilling 3 straight Hawkeyes – although I 100% understand the urge. And then she had similar experience last night in San Antonio being run after allowing 6 runs in 3 innings against Texas in the 15-10 loss.

But if there’s one thing that all of these outlier performances have in common, it’s a return to All-American for Jordy in her very next appearance and Saturday afternoon was no different. When start Alexis Jensen struggled, Frahm moved from 1st base to the circle replacing her in the bottom of the 4th with an 8-5 lead (more on that below).

She gave up an immediate double to Jaycie Nichols. After a strikeout, the speedy Kayden Henry bunted her way on and then promptly stole 2nd putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out.

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Time to get to work. Frahm first struck out Viviana Martinez. Then Reece Atwood drove a ball to left which the charging Natalia Hill slid and caught to end the threat. In the bottom of the 5th, another bunt single and then a bad snap throw pickoff attempt put a Horns runner at 3rd again with one down. Liners to 2nd and right ended that scare. Jordy finally got a 3-up 3-down inning in the 6th.

Then she turned up the fire for the bottom of 7.

First it was a ground out to Lauren Camenzind at 2nd base. Then it was just mow them down time. Two straight strikeouts – and just coming right at Texas with the heat on the two-strike counts. Final line for Frahm: 4 IP 3 H’s scattered 5 K’s 0 BB’s.

Nebraska 8 #1 & defending national champ Texas 5

But this wasn’t just the Jordy show…although she did get it started with her bat by blasting a 1-0 pitch well over the center field fence for a leadoff homer and a 1-0 lead. Ava Kuszak, who went hitless on Friday, immediately busted that streak with a 3-run shot to up the margin to 4.

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Andy Ketterson

Texas got 2 back in the bottom half, but Nebraska erupted again for 4 more runs in the 3rd, this time with Emmerson unloading a long 3-run shot of her own followed by Lauren Camenzind going deep for the second time in two days. The Huskers took an 8-2 lead, but Texas again got to Jensen in the bottom cutting the lead to 8-5 courtesy of yet another 3-run homer, this time by Leighann Good.

But that would do it for both teams and Nebraska would grab a huge signature win in their first of several weekends of murderer’s row competition.

Alexis Jensen after a Jekyll (10 K’s) and Hyde (4 HR’s surrendered) against Washington improved somewhat against the #1 Longhorns’ brutal lineup. She struck out 6 in 3 innings, while giving up 8 hits and, to be fair, there were a few bunts and bleeders in there. She did still get some pitches up in the zone deep into counts when a ball or a walk would’ve been fine. However, she cut the homers from 4 to 1 and clearly has elite stuff. She will improve.

The Husker bats showed they’re not dropping off in ‘26 after a historic 2025 as evidenced by strapping a combined 18 runs in the two games on Texas in addition to the 8 versus Washington. Ava Kuszak led the way Saturday with a 2-for-4 3-RBI 2-run day.

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The Huskers looked much cleaner in the field, but Jessie Farrell was a little shaky – she needs to improve on blocking pitches in the dirt to keep those in front of her. But she has a cannon and has been very close to picking runners off of first base with snap throws after the pitch. Those will come. Lauren C. with her pair of homers and continued defensive work appears to have held onto the 2nd base job for now. I had wondered if previous 2-year starter Katelyn Caneda would mount a challenge.

The Huskers will finish out the season against host Texas-San Antonio tonight and a rematch with Washington tomorrow morning at 10:05 PM.

Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska Athletics



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No. 22 Maryland Dominates Nebraska Behind 16 Points From Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu

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No. 22 Maryland Dominates Nebraska Behind 16 Points From Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu


Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and No. 22 Maryland pulled away down the stretch for a 78-60 win over Nebraska on Saturday.

Oluchi Okananwa scored nine of the Terrapins’ 15 first-quarter points, and Maryland (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten) led 45-28 at halftime after a 30-17 second quarter.

Nebraska closed within 50-33 early in the third, but Maryland answered with Addi Mack’s layup off a steal and a Yarden Garzon 3-pointer to stretch the margin back to 52-33. The Terrapins won the third quarter, 25-18, and pushed the lead past 30 on a Rainey Welson 3-ball with 5:09 left in the period.

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Okananwa had 14 points and four steals, Garzon scored 11 points with six assists and Kyndal Walker added 13 off the bench. Welson finished with a career-high 13 points.

Ozzy-Momodu added nine rebounds, and Maryland finished with a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Terrapins shot 50% from the field, out-rebounded Nebraska 39-26 and forced 22 turnovers.

Logan Nissley led Nebraska (16-8, 5-8) with a career-high 22 points, including 13 by halftime, and hit six 3-pointers for her first 20-point game. Britt Prince made her 54th straight free throw in the third quarter, a Nebraska school record.

Next, Maryland hosts Penn State on Thursday, while Nebraska travels to Minnesota.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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