KEARNEY, Neb. — Traffic is minimal in Kearney on Wednesday thanks to the biggest snowfall of the season.

The city received between three and five inches of snow depending on where you measure it. The forecast prompted all area schools to cancel class for the day and many businesses and city buildings to adjust their work days.

Kearney street crews finished plowing highways, arterial roads, and emergency routes by 9:15 a.m. Plows are focusing on residential roads and the downtown area in the afternoon. City officials warned that temperatures are too cold for deicing chemicals to be effective, meaning that some slick spots could develop.

As of mid-afternoon, the Nebraska Department of Transportation listed most highways in the area as completely covered with snow. Interstate 80 was partially covered with snow.

Emergency personnel responded to a multi-vehicle crash on I-80 near Overton shortly before 6:00 a.m. The crash forced the closure of the westbound lanes for about four hours.

Forecasters don’t expect much more snow, but do expect extreme windchill values overnight. 

The City of Kearney Street Division announces that a Parking Ban has been declared for the Downtown area of the City of Kearney. Snow removal will take place early Thursday morning with parking prohibited between the hours of 1:00 AM AND 6:00 AM with towing operations beginning at 2:00 A.M. on Thursday, February 13, 2025 for the following streets. VIOLATORS WILL BE TICKETED AND TOWED.

Businesses in the Downtown area should make plans to have their walks scooped by MIDNIGHT so that the snow can be hauled in connection with the snow removal operations.