Winter driving conditions forcing road closures in Nebraska Panhandle, southeast Wyoming
SCOTTSBLUFF - Strong winds statewide, wildfires in the southwest, and a winter storm in the northern Panhandle were all on the menu in Nebraska Saturday morning.
Poor visibility from heavy snow closed numerous highways in the Nebraska Panhandle.
42 miles of Highway 71 from Scottsbluff north to County Road 87 closed at 10:30 a.m. because of winter driving conditions.
At 10:19 a.m., Nebraska Department of Transportation officials closed Highway 385 from Hemingford to Chadron.
Highway 20 from the Nebraska-Wyoming border to Crawford in Sioux County closed at 9:49 a.m.
Highway 29 from Mitchell to Harrison was closed at 10:08 a.m.
Winter conditions in Wyoming closed Interstate 80 from Cheyenne to Laramie. As of April 23 at 10:30 a.m., the estimated opening time is in 5 to 7 hours. Winter conditions also closed I-25 from Wheatland to Casper. As of 9:58 a.m., the estimated opening time was unknown.
A winter storm warning continued until midnight Saturday. A total of five to seven inches of snow was forecast by the National Weather Service for the Harrison area. Rain and snow was expected to mix around the Scottsbluff area with new precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch.
The southern Panhandle was not forecast to receive any moisture.
The Nebraska Panhandle, northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming was in a high wind warning until midnight Saturday. Wind gusts were forecast to reach around 65 mph. Damaging winds can blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages were expected. Travel was difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.