‘Please avoid travel’: Authorities urge people to stay home with south-central Nebraska roads closed
HASTINGS, Neb. — Authorities are continuing to discourage travel after a winter storm wreaked havoc on south-central Nebraska Thursday night and Friday morning.
As of Saturday morning, the Nebraska Department of Transportation listed all highways in Adams, Clay, Webster and many in Hamilton County as shut down. The closures come following a storm that dropped roughly seven inches of snow on top of an existing layer of snow. High winds have whipped the dry snow around, causing drifting and poor visibility.
“Most Adams County roads are still marked closed by NDOT,” Adams County Emergency Manager Ron Pughes said in a social media post. “Windchills make getting stuck life threatening. STAY HOME!”
“Please avoid travel roads are impassable,” Hamilton County Emergency Manager Kirt Smith said. “Roads are blowing back shut. Please stay home and be safe.”
Authorities in Grand Island and Hall County say near-blizzard conditions developed Saturday morning.
“The large number of cars out on the roads, and particularly those stuck in the snow on the side of the roads, are impeding their progress,” Hall County Emergency Manager Jon Rosenlund said. “Stay home and stay safe!”
Wind gusts are likely to continue to make travel conditions challenging throughout the day. The National Weather Service expects gusts to remain above 35 mph until 5:00 p.m.
The region will remain in a Winter Storm Warning until 6:00 p.m. Saturday. A Wind Chill Warning is in effect until noon on Tuesday. Wind chill values in Hastings and Grand Island are expected to remain below -35 all of Saturday.