Blowing snow, brutal wind chills still a problem into the weekend

We have a Winter Storm Warning in effect across eastern Nebraska that continues into Friday afternoon, if not Friday night. This will continue after the snow stops due to blowing snow creating nearly whiteout conditions.

If you are wondering what it takes to be under a Blizzard Warning, there are three criteria that need to be met for a Blizzard Warning to be issued by the National Weather Service (below). You do not need falling snow to be in a blizzard, but frequent gusts/sustained wind gusts of at least 35 mph and visibilities at or below a quarter mile need to be expected for at least three hours.

Snow will continue through Friday morning, with scattered snow showers into Friday afternoon as we experience the wraparound snow on the backside of this system. The snow should wrap up by the later afternoon. As you may be able to tell, this is a far drier snow than what we saw earlier in the week. Therefore, it is easier to blow around on top of the snowpack we had going into this storm.

Additional totals past 5 a.m. Friday will be anywhere from 2 to 5″ with the wind continuing for a while longer into Saturday. This will be hard to measure, as open areas are susceptible to winds and drifts.

A blizzard that results from snow that has previously fallen is called a ground blizzard. If there are several inches of deep, fresh snow on the ground, this strong wind will quickly pick up the snow and create whiteout conditions.

The winds and cold temperatures will together create dangerous conditions for anyone venturing outside through the weekend and early next week. Anyone stranded in their vehicle or forced to walk outside is at risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Wind chills are expected to drop around -30° for Saturday morning, -40° for Sunday morning and still -25° to -35° for Monday and Tuesday mornings.

The entire state is under a Wind Chill Warning for wind chills as low as -40 to -55 expected tonight through Tuesday afternoon.

Under these conditions, frostbite can happen in as little as 5-10 minutes Friday night through Tuesday morning. Be aware of that in trying to shovel or plow any snow, this cold air will be here for several days. If you do start to get frostbite, it’s recommended that you not rub or try to massage those areas, but to warm them with extra layers or using a warm (not hot) towel or bath.

There are eventually “warmer” days in the forecast, but in the near future, stay safe and warm. We’ll see you on the other side.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
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