NEBRASKA (Michael Shively / News Channel Nebraska) – The forecast continues to worsen for the severe storm expected to hit Nebraska tomorrow.
The National Weather Service has upgraded 23 counties from a Winter Storm Watch to a Blizzard Warning. All panhandle counties and north central counties are included in the Warning.
These counties include Dawes, Sioux, Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Cherry, Sheridan, Keya Paha, Arthur, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Boyd, Brown, Rock, Keith, McPherson, Perkins, and Thomas.
Some areas of the state could see as much as 18 to 24 inches of snow combined with wind gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour. The storm is expected to hit western Nebraska Wednesday morning and work its way east across the state. The NWS advises that travel could be difficult or impossible for those in the warning areas on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meanwhile, severe thunderstorms could be on tap for the southeast part of the state. NWS forecasters say a slight risk exists for severe weather Wednesday evening. Forecasters say strong storms with large hail and damaging winds are possible.
