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Critical Fire Weather Conditions in the Plains; Heavy Snow in the Sierra and Northern Rockies

Gusty winds and warm, very dry conditions will lead to a Critical Risk of fire weather across much of the High Plains through Thursday. A Pacific storm system will bring strong winds and precipitation from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Rockies, with heavy mountain snow in the Sierra-Nevada and northern Rockies. Heavy snow will continue in the northern Rockies on Thursday. Read More >

Overview

An intense low pressure system moved across the Central Plains and into the Great Lakes on March 19th, bringing strong to severe thunderstorms, widespread heavy snow, and strong to damaging winds to much of the Midwest. The NWS Omaha coverage area experienced all of these hazards, with thunderstorms developing during the early morning hours, including one that produced quarter sized hail near Fort Calhoun, NE. The rain switched over to sleet through the morning and eventually heavy, wet snow, with thundersnow occurring for a few hours. In addition, 50-70+ mph wind gusts were observed with the falling snow, leading to near 0 visibility and widespread damage to trees and power lines, with numerous power outages across eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. Many roads and highways were also closed throughout the event.

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