Those folks in this area who were dreaming of a white Christmas got what they wanted this week, and perhaps a bunch more. The folks who had Christmas travel plans, they didn’t fare so well.
It wasn’t the storm of the century as some early forecasts indicated it might be but it was enough to snarl the holiday plans of many.
A slow moving blizzard swept across Nebraska just touching the northern part of Nuckolls County. Though much of our prime circulation missed the blizzard, generally several inches of snow were received. The storm which began as rain on Saturday and changed over to snow on Sunday night left much needed moisture but unwelcome travel conditions. Fortunately the switch from rain to snow was accomplished without leaving a coating of ice.
The combination made travel on rural roads difficult. Above normal December temperatures meant the ground was not frozen and the rain softened the roads. While temperatures did drop below freezing, the snow formed an insulating cover and left the roads and field soft and difficult to navigate.
The forecasted high winds with wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour did not develop in this area.
Snow amounts were lower than expected for many areas.
Meteorologists advised people to avoid traveling as much as possible.
The storm is expected to leave cooler temperatures in its wake for the balance of this week, however, the days before the New Year’s Holiday are expected to be dry.
While Tuesday’s snowfall was less, than the weather service first projected in some area visibility was forecast to drop to a quarter mile or less during the expected snow squalls. The squalls were expected to brief with little accumulation. With the roads covered with ice and snow on Tuesday morning, it was difficult for motorists to know where they were driving. As the day progressed, the deicing treatment was working on the highways and conditions were improving. In the morning there were many places where the pavement was not visible.
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