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RANDOLPH – A strong and slow-moving winter storm wreaked havoc across the area Monday and Tuesday.
Snow fell steadily throughout Monday, starting at about 9 a.m. and continuing through Tuesday morning. About six inches were dropped in the storm.
Then the winds came. Overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning, strong wind gusts blew snow into high drifts.
A utility line went down Monday night near the intersection of Wayne and Nebraska streets, causing residents in the northeast corner of Randolph to experience a brief power outage. Residents in that area also lost Internet capabilities which weren’t restored until mid-afternoon Tuesday.
City of Randolph Public Works Department cleared snow Monday morning and overnight Tuesday.
The city’s snow removal priorities are to clear emergency access routes from Main Street to Highway 20, access to the fire hall and access to Colonial Manor nursing home.
After those areas have been handled, the city plows school routes, the downtown area, truck routes, and then residential streets and alleys.
The snow removal plan is reviewed annually.
As a result of the winter storm, school was canceled Monday and Tuesday, and normal residential and commercial trash pickup was delayed.
White-out conditions forced highways and interstates across Nebraska to close.
Across the area, many activities were canceled and businesses closed as travel remained unadvisable during the storm.
Residents started digging out later Tuesday afternoon and evening, clearing sidewalks and driveways.
Randolph’s winter storm was part of a national event called Winter Storm Finn. The storm originated in Alaska on Jan. 5 and dipped south and then east as it moved across the country.
While this area saw snow, parts of the country experienced other severe weather. Flooding, rain and high winds were reported in the South and portions of the East Coast.
Locally, wind was expected to be a factor in this week’s forecast with gusts expected to reach 40 mph Tuesday into Wednesday.
Then residents will need to bundle up for the blustery weather forecast for the rest of the week and into the weekend.
Bitter cold temperatures are expected to be in place for the weekend with highs not expected to break zero and lows near -20 degrees.
