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Storm mostly misses Lincoln

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Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007 - 10:23:23 pm CST

Lincoln Journal Star

Dire warnings notwithstanding, most of Nebraska escaped the latest winter storm relatively unscathed.

The exception was far Southeast Nebraska, where a heavy accumulation of ice downed tree limbs and power lines. Several hundred customers remained without power Tuesday night.

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Prepare for winter weather

A major winter storm moved through Southeast Nebraska overnight, bringing with it freezing drizzle, ice and up to 6 inches of snow.

Lincoln Electric System is adding eight extra crew members and will be able to call in 60 more if the situation warrants, said utility spokesman Russ Reno.

“Hopefully, this all won’t be necessary,” he said.

If your power does go out, here are some tips on what you should do:
  • Call the LES PowerLine number to report an outage: 1-888-365-2412. The automated system gives your address to the dispatch center.
  • Have flashlights and fresh batteries on hand.
  • Make sure you have non-perishable foods available that do not require heating.
  • Fill up water containers. Each person in the house should have one gallon of water per day.
  • Keep a hand-operated can opener on hand.
  • Don’t grill inside your house.
  • Don’t use kerosene heaters indoors.
Send us your postponements, closings

If you have an event or function that will be postponed because of bad weather, please let us know. Send your postponements, closings and cancellations to citydesk@journalstar.com.

The Interstate 80 corridor served as the dividing line between snow to the north and significant icing to the south, the National Weather Service said.  A swath of 3- to 5-inch snows ran from near Columbus east to Little Sioux, Iowa.

South of the interstate, freezing rain produced ice accumulations around three-quarters of an inch in Southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa, mainly from Beatrice to Falls City and Auburn, into southwest Iowa near Hamburg and Clarinda. 

Along Interstate 80 from Lincoln to Omaha, ice accumulations of two-tenths to four-tenths of an inch were reported as freezing rain developed late Monday evening. A slow transition to snow occurred overnight and Tuesday morning.  A prolonged period of sleet kept both ice and snow accumulations down a bit, and spared most areas from major travel and power outage problems.

Lincoln

The storm brought a quarter of an inch of ice or less to the Lincoln area and a dusting of snow. The winter storm warning, originally in effect until 6 p.m., was canceled early Tuesday afternoon.

Lincoln Electric System reported no outages and Lincoln police no significant increase in accidents. Police still urged drivers to go slowly, especially on residential streets and at intersections, turn lanes and on bridges. StarTran buses ran on time.

All Lincoln and parochial schools closed, along with most other schools in the area. Smaller colleges closed as well, but the University of Nebraska-Lincoln remained open.

Late Tuesday afternoon, city street crews continued to salt emergency snow routes, arterial streets and bus routes. Plans were for the material spreading operation to continue through the night.

Fatality near Kearney

In Buffalo County, 47-year-old Laurie Shrader of Ravenna was killed when she lost control of her car and hit a snowplow 14 miles south of Ravenna.

The Buffalo County Sheriff’s office said Shrader died at the scene. The driver of the snowplow — Bryan Hibberd, 41, of Kearney — and a passenger were uninjured.

 The sheriff’s office said bad weather contributed to the accident. About 4 inches of snow was reported in the Ravenna area.

Cancellations, postponements

Some flights in and out of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield were canceled, and the funeral of one of the Omaha mall shooting victims, Beverly Flynn, was postponed until Wednesday.

Some got more snow

As travelers headed north Tuesday morning, the amount of snow increased.

National Weather Service meteorologist John Pollack said 4 to 5 inches fell along a line from Norfolk east into Iowa.

“There was a lot of moisture, and the real question was what form you got it in,” Pollack said.

Looking ahead

Today’s forecast is for mostly cloudy skies with a high near 28 degrees. The sun should peek through on Thursday, with highs around 32.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.


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Jared wrote on December 10, 2007 9:38 am:
" And the farmers say "hooray!" as more precipitation replenishes water supplies. "

 ?? wrote on December 10, 2007 9:44 am:
" Let's get the road crews out now putting sand down instead of waiting until after the fact. No excuses, we all know it is coming!!! "

 Diane wrote on December 10, 2007 10:33 am:
" Stay safe everyone. "

 Slow Down wrote on December 10, 2007 10:41 am:
" Just a reminder to everyone, slow down please. Other than that...bring on the SNOW! I love it! "

 ricky wrote on December 10, 2007 10:46 am:
" yay i get to work now!!!! "

 UNL STUDENT wrote on December 10, 2007 11:01 am:
" LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW! :D "

 LPS TEACHER wrote on December 10, 2007 11:42 am:
" Oh yeah....LET IT SNOW!!! "

 Conerned wrote on December 10, 2007 12:26 pm:
" I hope to see some city works trucks out before Tuesday afternoon. Seems like here in Lincoln they don't stay on top of the road conditions, they just wait until after it is all done snowing/sleeting before any kind of action is taken to make road conditions safer. "

 Dude Abides wrote on December 10, 2007 12:32 pm:
" Gosh I hate this weather! "

 Question for ?? wrote on December 10, 2007 1:36 pm:
" If they put down the sand and salt before it snows where do you suppose that sand and salt is going to end up when they plow? I guess we will have good traction on the shoulders... good thing you don't work for the road crews! "

 B wrote on December 10, 2007 1:56 pm:
" The weather is as unpredictable as the comments on this page. The road crew does the best they can with the time they have to do it. Just use common sense people. Stay home if you can, if you must go out, drive carefully. Nobody needs to be in a hurry. "

 Dept of roads!!! Listen up... wrote on December 10, 2007 2:08 pm:
" I agree, I think there needs to be something done BEFORE the sleet and ice! I hope you guys are listening!!!!! "

 UNL student wrote on December 10, 2007 2:58 pm:
" Hope it makes the school closed ho ho ho. "

 Dan wrote on December 10, 2007 3:32 pm:
" How about plowing from the fast lane out to the slow lane and then into the ditch? Otherwise, when you plow the east or west fast lane, you blow onto the opposite side. "

 Grand Island wrote on December 10, 2007 3:59 pm:
" At least Lincoln plows go out and take care of the streets. In Grand Island, the city doesn't hardly plow at all, the streets here are horrible. "

 UNL EMPLOYEE wrote on December 10, 2007 4:18 pm:
" Maybe they will close UNL and NOT make us drive in the horrible conditions. "

 LPS teacher wrote on December 10, 2007 4:37 pm:
" Snow day! "

 from Minnesota wrote on December 10, 2007 4:59 pm:
" In Minnesota road crews were out before anything hit if it was forecasted. Granted in Minnesota you could usually count on a prediction of ice/snow to be completely correct, but......... It was NEVER an after thought to get out and be sure the streets didn't get done until the storm had gone over. "

 What? wrote on December 10, 2007 5:02 pm:
" What EXACTLY would you like the Department of Roads (or the City of Lincoln) to do BEFORE the sleet and ice? Put down sand/mag cloride? So the plows can just shove it off, wasting money, gas, and time? People are waaaaaaaay to reliant on the "guv'ment" to compensate for their lack of common sense. Stock up ahead of time and limit your travel when conditions are bad. If your job doesn't understand that you can't get there, time do decide what is more important, your job or your safety? "

 E Jr wrote on December 10, 2007 6:51 pm:
" Is it too early to start blaming the city? I just want to get a head start on all the complaints that will come in tomorrow. "

 Dr.Bondo wrote on December 10, 2007 7:12 pm:
" Hoooray for all the body shops.This is money in the pocket.Now folks please drive with sense,as this one is coming for sure.And my God dont blame the city,what can they do now?Nothing.Please drive with caution,God Bless and Happy Holidays. "

 about the road crew wrote on December 10, 2007 7:21 pm:
" I agree that they do the best they can do with what they have to work with...but...I think if they get an early start there may not be so many accidents. Also, I think it would be wise to make sure the intersections are salted/graveled to include the side street intersections as they are still slick from the last one. Particularly 18th & D and 20th & Washington to name a couple. Please take care of our streets so that no one gets hurt unneedlessly. "

 Thanks all road crews. wrote on December 10, 2007 8:00 pm:
" Please ignore the complainers/arm chair "snow plowers." I would love to find out what certain people do for a living and second guess them. "Hey, don't flip that burger so soon!" "

 Another UNL Student wrote on December 10, 2007 8:24 pm:
" 2 presentations tomorrow... Let it snow let it snow let it snow... SNOW DAY!!!! please! "

 LPS wrote on December 10, 2007 10:50 pm:
" Why does LPS wait until the last moment to cancel school? They know it's coming, they know it's going to be slick, why not just give the students a snow day? It would sure help us working parents to know well in advance. "

 Work in omaha, live in lincoln wrote on December 11, 2007 12:51 am:
" wonder if this storm is going to be anything like the one we got back in 1997 when all the trees branches came down.. now i know there were a lot of green on the trees back then, and today they have already fallen.. but just wondering. "

 why... wrote on December 11, 2007 1:14 am:
" why hasn't lps closed school yet?? Practically everyone to the north and south of us has, even omaha public schools. what makes lps think that our roads are going to be safe tomorrow morning?? "

 another UNL student wrote on December 11, 2007 2:02 am:
" please god let them cancel school, please, please, please "

 Tom wrote on December 11, 2007 2:04 am:
" Okay... no way can I get to school in this. Where are all the school and business closings? Are people actually DRIVING on the ice? It was like sliding on glass earlier. "

 Jared wrote on December 11, 2007 4:55 am:
" E Jr, no, it's not too early to blame the city. Both Lancaster County and Lincoln generally do a terrible job with the streets because , IMO, they always fund it as an afterthought. If there was as much thought that went into it as they put into providing other services like water and sewer, we wouldn't have these problems. However, last year, they seemed, after the first storm, to have done better than in the previous decade. But it's still shameful. "

 ex-Nebraskan wrote on December 11, 2007 5:10 am:
" Makes me remember one of the reasons i moved to Florida. Monday and Tuesday highs upper 70's to low 80's and getting down to a frigid 50 at night. Can't say I miss the winters much at all. "

 Doug wrote on December 11, 2007 5:28 am:
" Its not the dept of roads thats the problem.its the stupid people who are on the roads that dont have to be.If its not an emergency then stay the H--- home.The roads Dept could get so much more done if they didnt have to fight the unnessary trafic, so could I being a independent contractor.If people cant plan around a snow day,or ice with all the warnings we get then they deserve the title stupid and you know the old saying"you cant fix stupid" "

 Cole wrote on December 11, 2007 6:11 am:
" If we're really concerned about safety and the efficiency of snow and ice removal, local businesses and non-essential services should shut down along with the schools. It's silly that we keep all the kids home and send most of their parents out to work. How necessary is it that Walmart be open for business today? All of those employees out on the roads, slowing down the street department and adding to the already dangerous conditions - it doesn't make sense. "

 Mike wrote on December 11, 2007 7:20 am:
" Why does UNL continously risk the safety of it's students by not closing on such a horrible day?! Shame on them! "

 RipperTee wrote on December 11, 2007 7:52 am:
" LPS has it easy. There is no way they would have cancelled school 15 years ago, or even 10 years ago in these conditions. It is not that cold and hardly any snow. "

 Remember wrote on December 11, 2007 7:53 am:
" The old days? When the road crews really didn't do anything? When there really wasn't a snow removal policy for Lincoln? I do have to say that the last few years have been improved, I think. They are doing a reasonably good job...even though my street hasn't been plowed since the last storm. But seriously, let's give em a break. "

 NL wrote on December 11, 2007 8:03 am:
" Sorry Doug, but I'm at work and I'm not stupid. I bought my car (Buick) because it's one of the best handling cars in snow, and bought new tires (Tripple Assurance) because they're highly rated for snow and water traction. So you see, I did plan ahead so I could continue to go to work in winter conditions. I'm a good driver, and know my limitations, but this morning wasn't really as bad as the media said it was. (At least not for me). I live in northern Lancaster county and find that the county roads are much better than city, so once I get out of the city, I'm usually home free! "

 SB wrote on December 11, 2007 8:04 am:
" 500 lbs of salt/lane mile = a whole lot of salt in our water supply because people don’t understand how to drive. "

 just remember wrote on December 11, 2007 8:08 am:
" the faster you drive the faster you get there. i guess people in this town already seem to know that 1 "

 former nebraskan... wrote on December 11, 2007 9:30 am:
" No snow here...........72 forecasted for today... YAY NO SNOW FOR ME.... drive carefully nebraskans... "

 Worker Bee wrote on December 11, 2007 10:16 am:
" I can't believe how many people are staying home from work today. The roads are fine, it took me less time to get to work today than any other day this year with snow. The extra speed was due to the fact that nobody was on the roads. At 7:30 this morning, the roads were slushy and very easy to drive and stop on. 70 percent of our staff decided to stay home. The nice thing is that they are all messaging me from home asking about the roads and saying they haven't even been outside! How do you stay home from work without even seeing what the conditions are like? "

 UNL Student wrote on December 11, 2007 10:26 am:
" Well UNL seems to not care if anyone gets injurned coming in... not all of us live on campus. Thankfully one teacher was intelligent and cancelled her class anyways. Now... hopefully the night class will too. I can't imagine what it would be like to drive home tonight at 9:30 as slick as it is now. "

 Tony wrote on December 11, 2007 10:51 am:
" Why start at 8am? Why not wait until 11am after everyone has gotten to work. Wouldn't want to impede the plows progress! Seriously, everyone knew this was coming. I looked out my window at 6:30 am and saw the roads had crud on them. Why did they wait so long to get started. Why wait until people are already driving to work. It's not a budget thing or a lack of plows. It's a management thing. "

 Mary wrote on December 11, 2007 10:53 am:
" I wish more of the big companies would be considerate for the safety of their employees instead of the almighty dollar. "

 Come on wrote on December 11, 2007 11:25 am:
" Are you serious when you say saftey for students. They should be more worried than snow. "

 Snowflake wrote on December 11, 2007 12:10 pm:
" I drove from Milford to downtown this morning. I drove slow and had no problems. "

 Lisa wrote on December 11, 2007 12:49 pm:
" The roads are not bad at all. But Thank You - to all you drivers that stayed off of them for me. Starting to pick up at lunch time, but I love less traffic. Especially in Lincoln, where roads were built for a lower population. "

 Oh Brother wrote on December 11, 2007 1:24 pm:
" If you don't want to go to class, then don't go. The roads aren't bad at all. I just went home for lunch and back with no problems. If you drive a little cautiously you will be fine. Once you get into the real world and have a responsible job, your employer won't be canceling work just because of a little snow and ice. Especially if it turns out like it did today. "

 another mother wrote on December 11, 2007 2:47 pm:
" Thanks to all you road crew, i know you work long hours and everybody is mad at you if they cant drive in this nasty stuff!! I would also like to thank the guys that shovel the sidewalks downtown, your job looks like it is very slushy, cold and not fun, so thanks to all of your city workers who help us get around!!! "

 frustrated wrote on December 11, 2007 4:51 pm:
" Before the storm hit yesterday, I slid into a stop sign at a moderately busy intersection. When I called to report the accident, I also asked how I could contact the dept of roads to ask for some salt or gravel at the intersection to avoid more accidents. The dispatcher told me she would take care of it. Two hours later there had been at least 3 more incidents at the same intersection. One accident apparently sheered the top off of the fire hydrant there and another vehicle slid into the intersection and caused an accident which appeared to involve at least 3 vehicles. I suppose I should have gone to the local grocery store down the street, picked up some ice cream salt and scattered it myself! Apparently 2 hours isn't enough time to get a gravel truck to this part of town. "

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