Blizzard in Nebraska, February 25 to 27, 1998

Blizzard conditions and snow packed roads occurred across the panhandle. On the 25th, winds were sustained at 35 to 45 MPH with gusts over 60 MPH, caused several accidents around the Scottsbluff area. A 59 year old man was seriously injured when his semi-tractor trailer slid into a ditch 13 miles north of Scottsbluff on Nebraska highway 71. In Sidney, winds were sustained at 35 to 45 MPH, with gusts up to 55 mph, and knocked out power to schools and neighbourhoods. Many schools and highways were closed, including Interstate 80 west of Sidney to the Nebraska-Wyoming border. On the 26th, winds gusting to 72 MPH combined with 9 inches of snow across the northern half of the panhandle, caused near zero visibilities for most of the day. Schools remained closed and Chadron and Alliance were isolated because of closed roads, due to snow drifts up to 6 feet deep. Much of Chadron and Alliance were without power. The high winds peeled roofs off local businesses across the panhandle. A 5 car pileup occurred 14 miles from Chadron, in Esther Canyon. There were no injuries and damage was minor. On the 27th, 70 MPH winds continued across the panhandle. Many roads around Chadron were still closed due to the high winds and blowing snow. Dozens of vehicles remained in ditches. Final snowfall totals across the panhandle ranged from 3 to 12 inches.