Surprising spring weather is wreaking havoc across the U.S. Midwest, as the state of Nebraska was raked with high winds, pummeled by a blizzard in the northern Panhandle area and burned by wildfires in the southwest.
Severe driving conditions from heavy snow have forced the closure of multiple highways in the Nebraska Panhandle and the storm is expected to continue throughout the night, bringing up to 17 centimeters of snow.
The western half of the state remains under high-wind warnings, and the damage has resulted in about 3,300 people left with power, according to the Nebraska Public Power District.
Meanwhile, wildfires are threatening Scotts Bluff County and burning rapidly across the region, including northeast Colorado, southeast Wyoming and much of the Nebraska Panhandle. News Channel Nebraska reports there have been several eyewitness accounts homes being evacuated.
The ferocious snowstorm is encircling the region and moving eastward, with parts of Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming being forecast to get significant snow Sunday that will make travel dangerous.
Harsh, damaging thunderstorms are expected to rumble throughout the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. And southern Minnesota and large parts of Iowa will be on alert for tornadoes.
The strong winds and dry weather are resulting in a high fire threat in parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
