Nebraska’s I-80 reopens after record snow shuts down 128-mile stretch
Snow totals reached 15.3 inches in North Platte, Nebraska, on Thursday, ranking as the snowiest day in the town’s recorded weather history, which stretches back to 1874.
Record snows shut 128-mile stretch of Nebraska interstate
Well over a foot of snow fell in parts of western Nebraska early Friday morning, leading DOT crew to close a large stretch of Interstate 80.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Westbound and eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 are now open statewide in Nebraska, after more than a foot of snow fell over communities.
Snow totals reached 15.3 inches in North Platte, Nebraska, on Thursday, ranking as the snowiest day in the town’s recorded weather history, which stretches back to 1874. It broke the previous record of 13.9 inches set on Jan. 18, 2023.
Sgt. Buhlke with the Nebraska State Patrol shows off his "Snowmellow" patrol car after record snows fall in North Platte, Nebraska on March 7, 2024.
(Nebraska State Patrol / FOX Weather)
Additional snow Friday pushed the two-day snowfall total to 17.4 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
As snow piled up across western Nebraska, DOT crews shut down a 128-mile stretch of Interstate 80 between Ogallala and Kearney.
(FOX Weather)
"There’s an interstate under there somewhere," NWS North Platte posted on X Friday morning of a snow-covered I-80. "That interstate also happens to be closed as of (Friday morning)."
Heavy snows bury a stretch of Interstate 80 in western Nebraska on March 7, 2024.
(National Weather Service / Nebraska DOT / FOX Weather)
In the hours before the closure, officials noted "snow is so deep it’s causing issues for vehicles exiting the I-80 offramp."
A few more inches of snow lingered Friday morning, but Winter Weather Advisories expired by midday.
Heavy snow also fell in northeastern Colorado. Yuma reached 11.5 inches, while Fleming measured 9.7 inches.