OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — While Friday evening's snow isn’t expected to be severe in the Omaha area, it’s important to be ready for severe winter weather now that the season is here.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) says there’s plenty of things you can do to prepare for dangerous winter weather conditions before you hit the roads.
They say that before even getting in your car during the winter months be sure you have enough gas, and that you have winter washer fluid and working wipers.
Be sure to clear your car of all snow, keep a cell phone and charger with you in case of emergency, and have a vehicle survival kit ready as well.
The most important thing is to be aware of what conditions you will be driving in before you take off.
One of the best ways to do that is through the DOT’s Nebraska 5-1-1 app.
“We have 511, and we have an app that you can download on your phone. That will give you what traffic speeds are, it will tell you what road conditions are, and you can access cameras from that app,” NDOT Spokesperson Jeni Campana said. “You can also use the desktop version on your phone. It's very mobile friendly. It's 511.nebraska.gov, and it has some additional features, including being able to put radar on your screen now”
They also have cameras on the interstates that you can check on, along with snowplow cameras available on their website. You can check it all out by clicking here.
Friday’s snowfall is expected to be around 1-3 inches in the metro, but that doesn’t mean roads won’t be slick. It's your responsibility to keep yourself and other drivers safe while on the roads.
“One of the big things we really want to make sure people do is that they leave early, they slow down, and they increase their following distance,” Campana said. “A lot of times in Nebraska we like to put that on as our badge of honor, that 'we're used to snow here and we know how to drive in it,' but those lower snow amounts, especially in the metro area as this storm looks like it's coming through, the roads still get slick."
