Winter storm affecting Nebraska in different ways

CHADRON, Neb. -- As much damage as the snow is doing in the Nebraska Panhandle, wind is also wreaking its fair share of havoc.

Streets in Gering have been largely empty Tuesday as drivers are staying off the roads due to winds gusting as high as 60 miles per hour in the Panhandle.

Overall snow totals have been tough to pin down due to the gusting and blowing snow in the area.

Just nine miles north of Gering, Scottsbluff is dealing with all sorts of road closures.

Highways 26, 71, 79 and 92 are all closed in the area.

The closures are part of a rash of roadways in the Panhandle closing down on Tuesday due to impassable conditions. Interstate 80 remains closed from North Platte to the Wyoming border, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

Further south in the Panhandle, Kimball continues to get battered by snow, with school closures announced well before Tuesday ahead of the storm.

Kimball announced Tuesday that that it would be canceling Wednesday classes, joining several Panhandle schools, including Leyton, Creek Valley and Chadron State College, to shut down for a second consecutive day.

Meanwhile, in northeast Nebraska, the weather has been limited to mostly rain...and a whole lot of it.

O'Neill was blanketed by an early morning downpour, which has continued in the northeast part of the state for most of the day. The temperatures remain above freezing in the afternoon, but it is expected to freeze overnight, creating difficult morning driving conditions once again on Wednesday.

Also seeing a lot of rain was southwest Nebraska. McCook started the day with thunderstorms and rain showers.

The temperatures were cooler in McCook than in northeast Nebraska, though they remained above freezing by 3:30 p.m. local time. Freezing temperatures were expected by sundown.

In southeast Nebraska, there has been no snow, but there was surprise hail Monday night.

Communities like Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska City and Auburn all reported mid-December hail at approximately 11:00 p.m. Monday night.

It's unlikely those communities will receive much, if any, snow this week, but the moisture is expected to continue throughout varying points of the week.

Meanwhile, back in the Panhandle, Chadron and the northern Panhandle are getting hit the hardest when it comes to snow.

Snowfall has remained constant since mid-morning Tuesday, with a total accumulation of up to two feet possible.

Most of the roadways have been deemed impassable by NDOT.

Get all the latest information on closings, road conditions, weather forecasts and more by clicking here.