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Welcome back Hip Priest. You've been missed.
Now, for the relevant, irrelevance.
We've had a horrendous blizzard here today! The road to my house was impassable, and I had to stay at a bar until it was plowed, and when it was finally 'plowed', I attempted to drive it, and got stuck for the better part of three hours. Gin and tonic is helping ease the anxiety.
Drivers Stranded; Snow Continues Over Iowa
Snow Mostly Done In Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. -- Denison, Iowa, was the center of continuing snowfall in the region at 3 p.m. Thursday, according to KETV NewsWatch 7 meteorologist Bill Randby.
Snow was still falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour from Harrison to Pottawattamie counties. Randby said he expected as much as 3 more inches of snow to fall in Denison, and an additional inch was expected over most of eastern Iowa.
The snowstorm that dumped as much as 13 inches on some parts of Omaha had mostly moved east of Omaha by 1 p.m. By 3 p.m., conditions in downtown Omaha had improved significantly as winds let up and streets were cleared.
Wind speeds gusted to 54 mph in Tekamah Thursday afternoon, and sustained winds across the region were near 40 mph. White-out conditions in rural areas will continue to threaten drivers throughout the day Thursday, Randby said.
Drivers Stuck On Roads, Interstates
Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins told KETV NewsWatch 7 that troopers had not encountered any serious wrecks along Interstate 80, but did respond to dozens of vehicles that ran off the interstate. She said troopers had also seen numerous jackknifed tractor-trailers.
Across Omaha, motorists were stuck in the snow. John Harter and his children said their pickup was stuck. But Harter laughed as he told a reporter about hoping no one would hit him as he sat helpless. His wife eventually showed up to take him home.
By 10 a.m., the lobby at an Omaha Howard Johnson Motel had filled up. Leroy Ristow decided to stop instead of continue his trip to Plainview, Neb.
"I'm 79 years old," Ristow said. "I've been through a few of these. I've learned my lesson a few years ago."
Stranded motorist Dennis Overdorf said he figured it was safer to stay than to press his tractor-trailer on toward Des Moines, Iowa.
"I got to Exit 23 on the Iowa side and it was just like someone pulled a sheet down in front of you," Overdorf said. "This is one of the worst I've been in, mainly because of the amount of snowfall and the wind."
Blowing wind, piles of snow and stranded cars had a lot of truck drivers stranded along the region's roads and interstates.
"When you got that much weight behind you and you go to stop, there's no stopping," said trucker Justin Moore. "That weight behind you shoves you to wherever it wants you to."
Blizzard Warning Issued
A blizzard warning has been issued for Douglas and surrounding counties, and is in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday.
A winter storm warning was canceled.
The National Weather Service in Valley issued the blizzard warning. Snow, which will fall heavily in patches across the region, will continue over the area into the afternoon. Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts over 40 mph will create blizzard conditions with occasional white outs. Snowfall will vary from 8 to 12 inches from around Fremont, Wahoo into west Omaha to 4 to 10 inches from southwest Iowa toward eastern sections of Omaha.
A blizzard warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to white out conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If you must, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.
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