The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory with warnings about freezing rain, icy conditions and extreme wind chills.
The forecast calls for a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain and light snow that could affect travel, along with wind chills of -10 to 5 degrees this morning. The weather could affect the Interstate 80 corridor and areas north Friday evening. The freezing rain will likely switch to just rain between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Chances of ice accumulation are greatest in areas north and west of the Omaha metro, including Washington, Burt, Dodge and Saunders counties. The Omaha area is 84% likely to see at least some accumulation, according to the weather service. Freezing precipitation is expected to begin this afternoon in OPPD’s service territory.
There’s also a low chance that northeast Nebraska could see a dusting of snow.
OPPD is aware of the forecast and ready to respond if needed. Icing on power lines and tree branches can sometimes cause outages, as can vehicles hitting poles due to slick roads.
Be sure to have a plan just in case you lose power. Keep blankets, flashlights, battery-powered radios, medicines and other necessities nearby in a place that’s easily accessible. Don’t hesitate to check on neighbors if you think they might need help. And seek assistance from them if you need it. A portable generator can help in some circumstances, when used safely.
Click here for more outage safety tips, and you can always visit this Storm & Outage page for more updates about outages.
