Dangerous ice, snow storm forecast to hit Central Nebraska

KEARNEY, NE — Forecasters say a significant winter storm could cause problems across Central Nebraska on Monday and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for much of the region including Phelps, Dawson, Buffalo, Custer, Sherman, Howard, Hall, Merrick and Hamilton counties. The warning lasts from 6:00 A.M. Monday until noon on Tuesday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Adams, Clay, Franklin and Webster counties for the same time frame.

The NWS says the storm will start as rain and freezing raining will transition to snow as temperatures drop Monday evening. North winds could gust as high as 35 miles per hour in the overnight hours.

Cozad, Kearney and Loup City are among the cities expecting the most severe ice events. Forecasts say all three cities will see at least a quarter-inch of accumulations. Areas of northeast Nebraska could see more than 0.3 inches of ice accumulation. Ice events this severe are known to cause power outage, downed trees and create treacherous travel.

Forecasters are giving broad snowfall estimates, but say the biggest accumulations will occur in the north central portion of the state. The NWS projects 1-4 inches in Kearney, 0-4 in Grand Island and 0-3 in Hastings.