As a major winter storm dumps several inches of snow on most of Nebraska, The Omaha metro area is expected to miss the brunt of the storm.
First Alert Chief Meteorologist Rusty Lord Omaha and areas east and south into Iowa and far southeast Nebraska will have rain through the afternoon Tuesday until the sun sets.
Areas that start as rain will likely stay as rain right through the afternoon until after sunset. This includes the metro and areas east and south into Iowa and far southeastern Nebraska.
Lord says the rain will transition to snow from west to east and that is then the metro is expected to get the majority of the 1-3" of accumulation that's forecast. As that falls, northwest winds will gust to near 50 mph at times overnight tonight creating blowing snow and very low visibility at times in the metro and much of the surrounding area.
To the northwest of the metro, it will start as snow around Norfolk, Columbus, Tekamah and all points in between and stay as snow during the storm. That is where the heaviest snow totals will be from this storm.
Lord says expect some travel issues to still be present Wednesday morning due to blowing snow and windy conditions.
Thanksgiving Day is still a First Alert Day as well but Lord says impacts from that system appear to be much less. Snow amounts should be much lighter and the wind will be less of an issue. Snow showers after 9 a.m. will linger into the afternoon and gradually change to light rain later in the afternoon.