As of 6 pm Wednesday, this will no longer update. For further updates on the blizzard, please see our other reporting on the website! Below is an archive of the timeline of events.
5:40 pm: Update from OPPD - We now have more than 250 field workers and contractors working as quickly as possible through the blizzard to restore everyone's power.
Their safety in these conditions is our top priority. A lot of the damage they've encountered will require extensive and complex repair work, which is challenging even in ideal weather. Right now, our workers are dealing with poor visibility, powerful wind gusts, slick and sometimes impassable roads, and heavy snow. Restoration will take time, and we want to thank customers in advance for their patience.
Given the nature of this storm and the extent and type of damage discovered so far, we believe this restoration will be a multiday event. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we expect to have all customers restored by the end of Monday. However, we expect that most customers will be restored before then. Please plan accordingly for your specific needs, and above all, please stay safe.
We've requested extra help from our mutual assistance partners. Many Nebraska utilities are dealing with their own outages and aren't able to respond right away, so any additional support will likely come from farther away.
As the weather stabilizes, we should have better information to share, including more precise estimated restoration times. We'll keep you posted with more information as soon as we have it.
5:21 pm: While on patrol, a Nebraska State Trooper's vehicle was hit in Dodge County. Thankfully, no one was injured.
This morning, while a trooper was helping one driver south of Fremont, another driver lost control and struck his patrol unit. Thankfully the trooper was not in the cruiser at the time and was not injured.
— Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) March 19, 2025
The snow may be stopping, but the winds are still blowing and many… pic.twitter.com/eYdc1A2Hml
3:50 pm: Reporter Greta Geode is on the scene of a power pole snapped in half at 38th and Chicago. The police have cordoned off the road to remove the pole.
3:23 pm: Valley PD has closed Hwy 275 near 276th Street due to an accident.
3:08 pm: Update from OPPD - Our field workers and contractors are working hard right now to restore power as quickly as possible in the blizzard, despite some treacherous and challenging conditions.
Strong, gusting winds have toppled several dozen poles and many overhead wires throughout our service territory. A lot of roads are unpassable due to heavy snow, icy conditions and poor visibility, especially in rural areas. This makes it extremely difficult to complete damage assessments and repairs.
We want to emphasize that we will work around the clock and do everything we safely can to restore power to everyone.
As of 3 p.m., we have 95,098 customers without power. More than half of those are in Douglas County. About 16,000 of those customers are in Sarpy County. We have a large number of outages in nearly every county in our service territory.
3:04 pm: US-30 is closing between Blair and Missouri Valley, including the bridge, is closed.
3:03 pm: A multi-vehicle crash along Hwy 36 between Hwy 133 & 168th St is blocking the road. Officials are urging travelers to find an alternate route.
🚧AVOID THE AREA🚧
— DCSO - Omaha, NE (@DCSheriffNE) March 19, 2025
Please avoid Highway 36 between 168th Street and Highway 133. There are currently numerous stuck vehicles and the highway is impassible.
We will provide an update when it is safe to travel this stretch of Highway 36 again. pic.twitter.com/eoG6Fvdjoy
3:00 pm: From reporter Alex Whitney on the situation in Dodge County: "as of right now the Fremont Police Department (FPD) is reporting that old 275 is blocked because of a semi that ran partially off the road. Neither the Dodge County Sheriffs Office or FPD can reach the stranded vehicles at this time and they are urging any motorists to stay in their vehicles. They have been using their MRAP to help some motorists but it sounds like it cant get to 275. OPPD is on scene but has no ETA on when the power could be back on."
2:42 pm: West Dodge at 180th has been REOPENED after an earlier closure due to a crash.
2:41 pm: Lancaster County Engineers have pulled their plows from the roads due to hazardous conditions. They will resume operations once conditions improve.
2:32 pm: I-80 is closed in Sarpy County between Hwy 50 and Hwy 6 due to downed power lines.
2:26 pm: Douglas County Sheriffs Office announced it will only be responding to injury accident calls. They call for those in smaller accidents to report it another day.
🚨WINTER TRAFFIC ADVISORY! 🚨
— DCSO - Omaha, NE (@DCSheriffNE) March 19, 2025
Due to the increased number of accidents on the road, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will now only be responding to accidents involving injuries and or hazards on the roadway(s).
If you are involved in a crash and there is only minor damage,… pic.twitter.com/pO8BWTHVi9
2:24 pm: I-80 WB in Pottawattamie County, IA is blocked between Exit 29 and 34 (Minden/Shelby area) due to a crash. Likewise, Highway 44 in Harrison & Shelby Counties is closed.
2:20 pm: KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree spoke with OPPD spokesperson Jodi Baker. She said this storm is in the top 10 for worst outages.
As of 2:00 pm, just under 87,000 people are without power. Bake said wind has played a large role in why there have been so many outages, she says the most impacted are Dodge and Douglas County.
The power outages are largely due to fallen power lines and damaged transmitters and power poles. Crews are working to establish power, however strong wings are making it more difficult for crews.
2:17 pm: A tree was snapped on 108th St south of Center due to the high winds.
2:15 pm: A statement released from MidAmerican Energy shows around 23,000 customers in Iowa without power. Of those, 50% are without power in the Charter Oak/Ida Grove area, rural Pottawattamie County seeing greatest impacts, and 50% of customers in Harrison County. The rest of southwest Iowa has seen minimal power outages so far.
2:00 pm: Fremont Police Department is en route to rescue stranded motorists along US-275 in Dodge County, but power lines down inhibit the rescue efforts.
1:45 pm: I-80 between Lincoln and Gretna is re-opened. However, the interstate is still closed from Lincoln to North Platte.
1:42 pm: One of the reasons for the widespread outages is the power poles snapping, including this one at 96th and Giles. For this reason, Giles is closed between 96th and 107th Sts.
12:38 pm: New road closures: Maple St between 202nd and US-275. US-275 between Valley and Fremont. US-30 between Blair and Columbus. US-75 between Omaha and Blair. And more (see map below).
12:30 pm: Update from OPPD - We now more than 48,000 customers without power as blizzard conditions continue. A lot of the initial damage our system experienced has been in the north rural area where snow was heaviest and winds strongest. Our damage assessment teams are estimating 50 or 60 utility poles were knocked down by strong winds in that area alone. With the weather not yet letting up, we're expecting to see the outage situation get worse before it gets better.
OPPD is working hard to make repairs as they are safely able to do so. We're fully staffed and are also getting assistance from our contractors with LE Myers and Watts, as well as contracted tree crews on standby as needed. We are seeking more mutual aid assistance; however, our closest utilities here in Nebraska are also dealing with thousands of power outages caused by this storm system.
We won't let up on our restoration efforts. We hope to be able to provide a better idea of when customers' power will be restored as we get deeper into our damage assessment efforts. Meantime, we continue to stress safety among our crews and our customers. Should you encounter downed power lines, stay far back. Assume they are live, high-voltage and extremely dangerous. Call us at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report the hazard as soon as possible.
NOON: MIDDAY SNOW UPDATES FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Melissa Wright - North Omaha
Katrina Markel - Council Bluffs
Molly Hudson - Eppley Airfield
John Brown - Gretna
Greta Goede - Sarpy County
Alex Whitney - Fremont
Mary Nelson - 144th and State
12:13 pm: I-80 is now CLOSED between Lincoln and Gretna.
12:12 pm: US-59 south of Denison, IA closed in both directions due to a stalled vehicle.
12:10 pm: Multi-vehicle accident on I-680 near the Irvington exit.
#Omaha Multiple vehicle crash at I-680 NB MM 7 (Irvington) right lane blocked, merge left in area. pic.twitter.com/WQeCNhzDJF
— Omaha Hwy Conditions (@NDOTomaha) March 19, 2025
12:00 pm: 40,721 customers in the OPPD coverage area are without power. Most of Saunders, Dodge, Washington, and western Douglas County is without power. The highest concentration without power in Omaha is along 72nd Street and in Elkhorn.
11:57 am: Off-ramp from I-680 onto Maple Street blocked due to a stalled vehicle.
11:43 am: EB Dodge St at 192nd is closed due to a jackknifed semi. Traffic must exit and reduce speeds.
11:41 am: US-30 closed between Fremont and Blair, as well as Hwy 91 in Washington County. US-77 is closed between Fremont and Wahoo.
11:27 am: 5.7" of snow so far north of Gretna.
11:18 am: I-80 EB between MM 429 and MM 432 south of Gretna closed due to a jackknifed semi.
11:10 am: The I-680 WB ramp at Irvington is closed due to a jackknifed semi.
#Omaha I-680 WB Exit ramp @ Irvington is BLOCKED due to a jackknifed semi. Use alternate route. pic.twitter.com/Pg5oWkcPjD
— Omaha Hwy Conditions (@NDOTomaha) March 19, 2025
10:48 am: I-29 is closed from the South Dakota border to Missouri Valley.
10:47 am: Update from OPPD - Outages have escalated to 30,575. Our crews are assessing the damage and the causes. However, we have dozens of utility poles broken and wires down due to strong winds. We remind our customers to stay safe around downed lines. Always assume they are live and high voltage. Stay far back and call us at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report the hazard.
It's likely that trees and limbs falling into power lines are also a factor, as well. This is typically a bigger problem in older parts of town with large, mature trees. Ice on power lines and galloping lines has also been a problem we're seeing.
We continue to troubleshoot and make repairs as it is safe to do so. However, our crews must put safety first and take breaks until dangerous conditions like whiteout or low visibility on roadways. Because of this, travel is slow-going, particularly in rural areas where infrastructure is spread across a larger area.
10:46 am: Highway 36 is closed in northern Douglas County due to power lines over the road.
10:45 am: Most US highways are closed west of Lincoln including but not limited to: Highway 6, Highway 34, NE-Highway 15, and US 30. Highways are also closed over Northeast Nebraska including but not limited to US-75, NE-Hwy 32, NE-Hwy 91, and US-275.
10:38 am: I-80 between I-880 and Exit 29 is blocked due to a multi-vehicle crash, per Iowa 511.
10:38 am: Update from OPPD - Outages have escalated to 29,469. Our crews are assessing the damage and the causes. However, we have dozens of utility poles down due to strong winds. And it's likely that trees and limbs falling into power lines are also a factor, as well. This is typically a bigger problem in older parts of town with large, mature trees.
We continue to troubleshoot and make repairs as it is safe to do so. However, our crews must put safety first and take breaks until dangerous conditions like whiteout or low visibility on roadways. Because of this, travel is slow-going, particularly in rural areas where infrastructure is spread across a larger area.
10:24 am: La Vista Police will only be responding to injury accidents. All other accidents can be reported on another day.
10:19 am: The earlier crash near Gretna has been cleared.
10:15 am: Trash collection for Council Bluffs has been postponed. It will resume tomorrow, March 20. Place Wednesday's collection out on Thursday. Thursday and Friday's trash will be collected on their normal days.
10:13 am: All city facilities in La Vista will be closed.
10:12 am: I-29 is closed from north of Missouri Valley to the South Dakota border due to blizzard conditions. Power lines are over the interstate at MM 110 north of Onawa.
10:00 am: Omaha metro snow/slush totals around 2-3", Columbus reports 4.5"
9:50 am: Update from OPPD - At this time, 23,514 customers are without power. OPPD crews are responding as quickly as safely possible. Windy conditions and low visibility are making that challenging. We thank our impacted customers for their patience during this time. We are working on getting mutual aid support to help in our restoration work.
9:01 am: Burt County Emergency Management reports trees down in Tekamah
8:37 am: Crash on I-80 near Gretna due to jackknifed semi-truck
7:53 am: Social media report shows multiple tree limbs down in Fremont due to non-thunderstorm winds
5:45 am: Hail has been falling with thunderstorms in the Omaha metro.
5:09 am: Interstate 80 is CLOSED between Lincoln and Lexington
