UPDATE 12/27 9:30 a.m. CT -- I-80 is now back open across the state.  Full details here.

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KEARNEY, Neb. — Transportation officials in Nebraska are shutting down Interstate 80 and other highways in the western half of the state.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation has extended at least a partial closure of I-80 from the Cheyenne, Wyo. to Kearney — a stretch of 317 miles. The closure is for both directions of I-80 from North Platte to the west and only for the westbound lanes from Kearney to North Platte. Eastbound I-80 is closed in Wyoming from Cheyenne to the Nebraska border. A social media post says officials closed the interstate because snow and high winds made travel impossible.

The first closure on Tuesday happened around 1:30 p.m. Central Time from Big Springs, which is near the Colorado border, to North Platte. The closure extended to the west to Sidney around 2:45, then grew to reach from Wyoming to Lexington around 5:15. Officials shut down another 40 miles to the east to Kearney around 9:30.

In a social media post, Buffalo County Emergency Manager Darrin Lewis says he doesn’t expected the interstate to reopen until late morning on Wednesday.

The closures go beyond just the interstate. Highway 30 has the same closures as I-80 and both directions of Highways 23, 6 and 34 are shut down for their westernmost sections.

The road closures come after a winter storm dropped 4-8 inches of snow across much of the state on Monday and into Tuesday morning. Wind was howling in the North Platte area much of Tuesday, with gusts up to 30 miles per hour blowing snow around and decreasing visibility. According to National Weather Service observations, wind speeds in Kearney and Lexington never exceeded 18 miles per hour after 6:00 p.m. Tuesday.

The NDOT 511 Map lists I-80 and Highway 30 as having normal driving conditions to the east of Kearney. Highways immediately to the north of Kearney and Lexington are listed as completely covered with ice and highways to the south are listed as partially covered with slush.