OMAHA, Neb.—A powerful storm that could dump a foot of snow in blizzard conditions is expected to hit Nebraska and parts of neighboring states starting Friday, marking what could be the biggest storm system to hit the region this winter, meteorologists warned Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for three southwest Nebraska counties and nearby portions of Kansas and Colorado on Thursday, but warned that Nebraska would be the bulls-eye as the storm tracks east. Iowa is expected to get up to 10 inches in some areas.
Rain is expected to turn to snow in the Lincoln and Omaha areas around midnight Friday, and snowfall will continue on Saturday.
Traffic was picking up at the Sapp Bros Travel Center in Sidney, along Interstate 80 in western Nebraska, on Thursday afternoon as truckers and travelers hoped to get ahead of the storm.
“It looks like everybody’s getting ready to hunker down for a while after this afternoon,” said O.D. Cerenil, a manager at the truck stop.
Once the storm hits, Cerenit expects that portions of I-80 will be closed, which would force travelers to stay put until the road is cleared.
Even the Nebraska Legislature canceled Friday afternoon hearings because of the expected storm.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 20s to low 30s, and wind should pick up to 30 mph or more, said Van DeWald, the lead meteorologist at the Omaha National Weather Service office.
“It’s going to be a wet heavy snow, but with 30 to 40 mph winds it certainly will cause a lot of problems as far as travel,” he said.
In Iowa, the most snow was expected in the southwest part of the state, where up to 10 inches is possible.
The storm is expected to be the biggest to hit the region this winter, marking a change from dry condition through much of the area.
“We’ll have to deal with the snow and significant travel impact, but it also brings much needed moisture that will carry us into spring and maybe get us back to normal,” DeWald said.
