Central Nebraska registers -44 wind chill, cold consumes region

KEARNEY, NE — The arctic blast of air rolling through the region is leaving its mark on central Nebraska.

The airport weather stations in Hastings, Grand Island and Kearney all recorded a low wind chill value of negative 44 degrees on Thursday. That marks the lowest wind chill for Grand Island since it hit negative 45 in 1990. Wind chill values are expected to remain lower than 30 below for the rest of Thursday and into Friday.

The extreme cold, combined with an inch or two of snow, and wind gusts greater than 40 miles per hour has created challenging driving conditions, especially on highways and the interstate. The Adams County Emergency Manager says mail didn't arrive in Adams County because trucks had trouble getting to the post offices.

Central Community College and the University of Nebraska Kearney are all operating with essential personnel only, asking that everyone else remain home. There was no trash or recycling pickup in Kearney and many cities in the area chose to close their offices.