The Nebraska Department of Transportation works to try and reopen Interstate 80 on Monday, after heavy snowfall totals hit the Nebraska Panhandle.
© Nebraska DoT
The Nebraska Department of Transportation works to try and reopen Interstate 80 on Monday, after heavy snowfall totals hit the Nebraska Panhandle.
While Lincoln and the rest of eastern Nebraska were getting soaked with a steady rain Monday, parts of the Panhandle were seeing epic snowfall.

There was a report of 15 inches of snow near Kimball and 11 inches near Potter, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy snow caused an hours-long closure of Interstate 80 on Monday from Big Springs to the Wyoming border. The Nebraska State Patrol said on Twitter that the weather conditions led to multiple crashes, causing the road to be shut down in both directions.

The heavy, wet snow also downed trees and power lines. Parts of Kimball were without power briefly Monday morning because of downed power lines, the Scottsbluff Star-Herald reported.


Snow reports from NWS spotters on May 2, 2022

Snow reports from NWS spotters on May 2, 2022
Measurable snow fell as far east as Grand Island, but most of the precipitation east of the Panhandle fell as rain. Grand Island, North Platte and Kearney all got between 1 and 1½ inches of precipitation, while Hastings got more than an inch and a half.

Lincoln's official total Monday was 1.39 inches, bringing its total precipitation over the past five days to more than 4 inches. Omaha got slightly more than an inch of rain.

The cloud cover that produced the rain also kept temperatures unseasonably cool. Lincoln's high Monday of 47 made it the coldest day in May since May 4, 2013.

Temperatures will warm into the upper 50s through Thursday, with significant chances of rain again on Wednesday and Thursday. The weather service says Lincoln and areas south could see up to 1½ inches of rain over the two days.

A steady warmup is forecast to continue through the weekend, with a high in the mid-60s on Friday, the 70s Saturday and Sunday and the low 80s by Monday.