A late fall blizzard pounded parts of Nebraska on Monday, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded in homes, hotels and shelters.

Central and northeast Nebraska took the hardest beating, with 4 to  13 inches of snow reported in some places, while Lincoln and other parts of southeast Nebraska were expecting 1 to 2 inches.

Jimmy Bacon of Lincoln and two of his friends hoped to beat the weather Sunday night as they trekked back to Denver after the Thanksgiving weekend.

No such luck.

Snow started to fall about the time they neared Kearney, and soon, Bacon said, he was left relying on road reflectors and brake lights to guide his vehicle through the blowing snow. North and northwest winds were between 20 and 30 mph, with wind gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph. Bacon said he drove about 2½ hours at 20 to 30 mph before pulling off in Cozad.

Stranded at the town’s Motel 6 on Monday, Bacon and his friends talked and played cards with other misery-loves-company travelers. Bacon is a 2004 graduate of Lincoln East High School and a sophomore at Metropolitan State College in Denver.

“People have been giving the elderly their rooms and having the younger kids stay in the hallway,” he said. “There’s definitely a sense of unity in people here.”

Helen Policky, hotel manager for the Motel 6 in Cozad, said about 110 people were piled into the hotel’s rooms, while 40 to 50 people hunkered down in the hallways and lobby. Two local churches also opened  shelters for stranded motorists.

“We’re trying to keep everybody fed,” she said.

People have been bringing in food, including Runza and Burger King fare, for the crowd, sharing rooms, while those with four-wheel-drive vehicles have been running errands for those stranded.

Said Bacon: “Most of the people here are in good spirits. It’s a pain in the butt, but we’re making the best out of a bad situation.”

The state’s first blizzard of the season is expected to end by early this morning as it heads for the Great Lakes region, a meteorologist said. The next chance for snow in the forecast is for Wednesday.

Snow totals varied throughout the state from 13 inches near Arnold in Custer County to 4 inches in southeast Howard County. Verdigre saw 8 to 10 inches. Snowfall amounts in North Platte, Grand Island and Hastings were expected to be between 6 and 12 inches, said Van DeWald, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Omaha.

Parts of Interstate 80 remained closed Monday evening, including westbound lanes from York to North Platte and eastbound lanes from Ogallala to Aurora. Several major highways in south-central and northeast Nebraska also were closed.

Some Nebraska residents were left without power as winds knocked out electrical service to thousands of customers.

Jeanne Schieffer, media specialist for the Nebraska Public Power District, said about 5,500 customers throughout the state experienced some power outages, although only about 200 were left without power late Monday afternoon.

“As soon as it’s safe for our lineman to get in there, we’ll work to restore power,” she said.

Soon after snow and ice began to accumulate across Lincoln on Monday evening, Lincoln police started responding to accident reports.

Police responded to about 27 accidents from 6 to 8:30 p.m., whereas officers normally might take five to six accident reports in the same period, said Lincoln police Capt. David Beggs.

“But it’s not terrible; 50 (in that time) would be terrible,” Beggs said.

Back at Motel 6, Bacon took a break from some games late Monday afternoon. The two-day layover could be worse, he said.

“At least I didn’t crash my car.”

Reach Gwen Tietgen at 473-7242 or gtietgen@journalstar.com.