A slick surprise caught Lincoln-area motorists off guard Wednesday night.
Drivers found themselves in ditches, in multiple-vehicle crashes and stuck on impassable hills as freezing rain turned streets and highways into an ice rink.
The National Weather Service had expected a band of freezing rain and sleet to stay north of the Lincoln and Omaha areas. But when the storm system sagged southward, roadways quickly slickened and accident reports began piling up.
The first indication of trouble was a head-on collision on Interstate 80 north of Lincoln.
Emergency vehicles responding to the crash found the going slow and dangerous.
"It's pretty hairy out here right now," one Lincoln police officer said after a careening semi almost struck him.
"I imagine some folks aren't slowing down as the conditions dictate," Lincoln Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Dean Staberg said at around 8 p.m.
Lincoln Police Capt. Jim Davidsaver said Thursday morning that 55 crashes were reported from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Only a few crashes had been reported from midnight Thursday to 7:45 a.m., he said.
Some intersections Wednesday night had as many as 10 to 15 damaged vehicles stopped because of accidents. There were reports of at least two jackknifed semis, and hills across the city were clogged by vehicles unable to move.
"I just passed several accidents on my way home. Getting to work tomorrow morning is going to be very challenging," one motorist commented on JournalStar.com.
Luckily, no life-threatening injuries had been reported about 1½ hours into the storm, Staberg said.
By late afternoon, the National Weather Service had issued a winter weather advisory for a large area of eastern Nebraska. That area was expanded as the storm pushed its way farther southeast than had been expected. The advisory warned of freezing rain and sleet changing to snow as the evening progressed.
A dispatcher at Lincoln's 911 center said sand trucks were being deployed at around 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the ice led to slow going for rescue vehicles. The 911 center encouraged emergency drivers to use caution en route to calls. Some emergency vehicle crews were putting chains on tires.
Staberg saw two cars spin on West O Street as he returned from an accident, he said.
The mess was similar in surrounding areas.
"I've heard reports of jackknifed semis and cars off roads," said Rick Chermok, a forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Valley.
That included a semitrailer blocking traffic for a short time on U.S. 6 east of Friend in Saline County and vehicles off the roadway along Nebraska 15 in Seward County.
In Omaha, police were responding only to accidents with injuries.
Barring another surprise, forecasters are predicting partly or mostly sunny skies into the weekend, with highs hovering around freezing.
The weather service seven-day forecast includes no expected precipitation in the Lincoln area and only a slight chance of snow in parts of northeast Nebraska.
Provided By: Journal Star.com
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