Winter storms blasts Norfolk area with up to 11 inches of snow

As far as snowstorms go, the one that started Monday packed quite a punch. Reports of between 9 and 11 inches of snow in the Norfolk area have been reported to the National Weather Service office in Omaha as of Tuesday morning, which puts the storm right on target for what meteorologists there were predicting. "For the most part -- especially with the snow that fell last night -- all in all, it was around what we were thinking would happen, especially west of the Missouri River," said Brennen Darah, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Omaha.

Although road temperatures in the Omaha metro area created a lot of melting, which resulted in less accumulation, northern areas saw significant snowfall, he said. Reports from Norfolk came in between 9 and 11 inches. Wayne received 10.5, and Stanton received 11.

The .71 of an inch of precipitation brought by the snow shattered an 87-year-old record in Norfolk. The previous precipitation record for Jan.

8 was .40 of an inch set in 1937. Winds began picking up at about 8 p.m.

Monday and were gusting up to 38 mph throughout the night, worsening travel conditions that were already complicated by the snowfall. The Madison County Sheriff's Office recommended no travel throughout the night because of the dangerous blizzard-like conditions. As of early Tuesday morning, the Nebraska Department of Transportation said roads were completely covered throughout much of the eastern half of the state.

The winter weather conditions prompted schools in Northeast Nebraska -- including Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk Catholic and Lutheran High Northeast -- to close for the second day in a row. Darah said Northeast Nebraskans -- especially those living west of Highway 81 -- might see a minimal amount of melting on Wednesday as highs climb into the lower to mid-30s, but a cold front toward the end of the week would plunge the area into a deep freeze. "That will drop our highs into the single digits," Darah said of the front that will begin moving in Thursday afternoon. "This weekend our highs probably won't get above zero, and wind chills will be around 40 below."

Those temperatures, Darah said, ensure the bulk of the snowfall won't melt anytime soon. "It's going to be around for a while," he said. Roads wreak havoc

Snow-packed roads and limited visibility kept area law enforcement agencies busy on Monday and Tuesday. Madison County Sheriff Todd Volk said the sheriff's office responded to a few calls where vehicles went into ditches. Multiple semis leaving the Tyson Foods plant in Madison Monday night jackknifed on Highway 81, and the sheriff's office and Madison Police Department helped clear the roadway.

Highways in Madison County were snow-packed as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Volk said, and while snow plows are likely to improve road conditions, drivers are encouraged to use caution for the next couple of days. County roads would likely turn into "sheets of ice," the sheriff said.

He encouraged drivers, especially those who navigate rural roadways, to be mindful, slow down and give themselves extra time to get to their destination. Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger said his office responded to multiple accidents amid the storm, including jackknifed semis and a two-vehicle crash, as well as several calls for stranded vehicles. Around seven to 10 vehicles slid into Stanton County ditches Monday and Tuesday.

Nobody required transport to the hospital for any injuries, Unger said. There were multiple stranded semis Tuesday morning on Highway 275 between Pilger and the Highway 57 junction. The sheriff's office was awaiting tow trucks, which can be limited during snowstorms.

There also was an accident near Woodland Park on Tuesday being worked by the Stanton County Sheriff's Office. The four-lane portion of Highway 275 east of Norfolk was in better condition than the two-lane portion in Stanton County as of mid-morning Tuesday, Unger said. The westbound, outside lane on the four-lane portion, though, has experienced snow drifting because of high winds.

Capt. Dain Hicks, commander of the Nebraska State Patrol's Troop B, based in Norfolk, said troopers had responded to a number of jackknifed semis and vehicles that slid off roadways. When a winter storm is in the forecast, it is typical of the state patrol to have extra troopers out on the roads responding to motorists who need assistance, Hicks said.

With temperatures expected to drop later this week, Hicks, Unger and Volk encouraged drivers to keep a blanket, shovel, water, food and emergency equipment in their vehicles in the event they get stranded. With winter storms come concern for potential power outages, but Grant Otten, Nebraska Public Power District's media relations specialist, said NPPD customers hadn't experienced any widespread outages resulting from the storm. Twenty-six customers in Table Rock in southeast Nebraska were briefly without power Tuesday morning, he said.

"I suspect if we do see more outages, it may be today just because of the wind we have blowing," Otten said.

The wind could cause power lines to swing back and forth and collide, which can cause outages.

More snow could accompany low temperatures later this week, as slight chances exist on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.