The metro area’s chances for a white Christmas are improving — but not because of the strong winter storm system moving across the Plains on Monday and Tuesday.
Instead, a less potent storm system later in the week could leave behind an inch or two of snow, said Dave Fobert, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Valley, Neb. Cold weather behind that Thursday-Friday system could allow any accumulating snow to stick around, he said.
“There’s a chance for a white Christmas,” he said. “Although any snowfall won’t be very extreme.”
The big weather news in the short term, however, is the blizzard sweeping across the Plains on Monday night and into Tuesday. Western Kansas and areas south of there are expected to get hammered. By the time the storm reaches far southeast Nebraska, it will have lost most of its power, but still is expected to drop 3 to 5 inches of snow.
The edge of that storm could bring snow overnight Monday. Forecasts indicate that the storm is sinking farther south than originally projected, which means the metro area may get less, rather than more snow than has been forecast.
“At this point, I think it could end up a nonevent for Omaha,” said Tom Kines, meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., the World-Herald’s private weather consultant.
Forecasted totals from the storm for Omaha already have dropped to less than an inch, down from what had been a couple of inches. Areas south of Interstate 80 could see more. Driving conditions in the Omaha area and along Interstate 80 should be fine Tuesday morning, Kines said.
More problematic will be Interstate 29 to the south, Kines said. Some stretches could see heavy snow and sleet.
Fobert and Kines said they do not expect the late-week storm to provoke widespread travel warnings.
“Christmas for most of the country should be good,” Kines said.
A storm in advance of the holiday could bring heavy snows to the Great Lakes and Northeast, which could create delays at airports, Kines said.
“It could be a nuisance type storm,” he said.
In the Omaha area, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are forecast as mostly clear and slightly colder than normal, Kines said. Highs are forecast in the 20s and lows in the teens.
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Traveling over the holidays? Here are some links to help make your trip a smooth and safe one:
WEATHER • Get the latest forecast
ROAD CONDITIONS
• Nationwide: Safetravelusa.com
By Phone:
• Nebraska, 402-471-4533
• Iowa, 800-288-1047
• South Dakota, 866-697-3511
• Wyoming, 888-996-7623
• Colorado, 303-639-1111
• Kansas, 800-585-7623
• Missouri, 800-222-6400
• Minnesota, 800-542-0220
• In Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota you can also dial 511 on your cell phone for conditions within that state.
FLIGHT INFORMATION • Omaha's Eppley Airfield • Lincoln Airport • Kansas City International Airport • Des Moines International Airport • Sioux City's Sioux Gateway Airport
TRAIN INFORMATION • Amtrak
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