Nebraska storm causes power outages, slick roads
Posted: Friday, November 07, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Western Nebraska's brush with winter will likely be short-lived but the few inches of snow that combined with strong winds in the Panhandle created power outages and hazardous driving conditions.
The National Weather Service received reports that 8 inches of snow had fallen in Rushville and 6 inches in Hemingford by early afternoon Friday. And drifts of snow reached 2 to 3 feet deep in that northwest corner of the state.
The brunt of the storm struck western South Dakota where more than 3 feet of snow fell in Lead and Deadwood, and wind gusts of 60 mph created blizzard conditions.
But most of the Nebraska Panhandle received only a couple inches of snow by Friday afternoon, although the wind made it hard to measure.
"It's not all been bad. It's just the wind in a few places," said Jim House with the weather service's Cheyenne, Wyo., office.
Utility officials say more than 2,650 Scottsbluff customers lost electricity, and about 300 customers throughout the Panhandle were still without power Thursday evening.
Nebraska Public Power District says a 115-kilovolt line running through Gordon in northwest Nebraska failed late Wednesday, cutting power to Pine Ridge, S.D. Repairs have begun.
The Northwest Rural Public Power District's Les Tlustos said the snowy conditions were slowing repairs near Hay Springs and Rushville. Tlustos said the utility stopped repair work for the night because trucks were having trouble navigating the snowy roads.
Tlustos said he hopes the utility can restore power to all its customers sometime Friday after plows clear the way.
In Nebraska, authorities closed Interstate 80 for a short time between Sidney, Neb., and Cheyenne, Wyo., but it has reopened. Other western Nebraska highways remain closed, and travel through much of the area is not recommended.
The Nebraska State Patrol said travel remained hazardous Thursday afternoon in the Panhandle because of high winds, blowing snow and slick roadways.
The weather service's House said the storm was expected to move out of the Panhandle quickly.
"We look for it to really die off fast around 5 p.m.," House said.
The storm could drop another 2-5 inches of snow on north-central Nebraska Thursday night, said Kenny Roberg, a forecaster with the weather service's North Platte office. That would be on top of the 3-5 inches that the area near Valentine already received.
Roberg said that outside of north-central and parts of northeast Nebraska, very little snow was expected. For example, North Platte in south-central Nebraska likely will receive only about half an inch of snow.
On the Net:
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Northwest Rural Public Power District: http://www.nrppd.com
Nebraska Public Power District: http://www.nppd.com
The National Weather Service received reports that 8 inches of snow had fallen in Rushville and 6 inches in Hemingford by early afternoon Friday. And drifts of snow reached 2 to 3 feet deep in that northwest corner of the state.
The brunt of the storm struck western South Dakota where more than 3 feet of snow fell in Lead and Deadwood, and wind gusts of 60 mph created blizzard conditions.
But most of the Nebraska Panhandle received only a couple inches of snow by Friday afternoon, although the wind made it hard to measure.
"It's not all been bad. It's just the wind in a few places," said Jim House with the weather service's Cheyenne, Wyo., office.
Utility officials say more than 2,650 Scottsbluff customers lost electricity, and about 300 customers throughout the Panhandle were still without power Thursday evening.
Nebraska Public Power District says a 115-kilovolt line running through Gordon in northwest Nebraska failed late Wednesday, cutting power to Pine Ridge, S.D. Repairs have begun.
The Northwest Rural Public Power District's Les Tlustos said the snowy conditions were slowing repairs near Hay Springs and Rushville. Tlustos said the utility stopped repair work for the night because trucks were having trouble navigating the snowy roads.
Tlustos said he hopes the utility can restore power to all its customers sometime Friday after plows clear the way.
In Nebraska, authorities closed Interstate 80 for a short time between Sidney, Neb., and Cheyenne, Wyo., but it has reopened. Other western Nebraska highways remain closed, and travel through much of the area is not recommended.
The Nebraska State Patrol said travel remained hazardous Thursday afternoon in the Panhandle because of high winds, blowing snow and slick roadways.
The weather service's House said the storm was expected to move out of the Panhandle quickly.
"We look for it to really die off fast around 5 p.m.," House said.
The storm could drop another 2-5 inches of snow on north-central Nebraska Thursday night, said Kenny Roberg, a forecaster with the weather service's North Platte office. That would be on top of the 3-5 inches that the area near Valentine already received.
Roberg said that outside of north-central and parts of northeast Nebraska, very little snow was expected. For example, North Platte in south-central Nebraska likely will receive only about half an inch of snow.
On the Net:
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Northwest Rural Public Power District: http://www.nrppd.com
Nebraska Public Power District: http://www.nppd.com
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
