Winter storm leaves many without power

A winter storm hit Perkins County this past weekend, leaving many without power, canceling school and community activities and creating a 10 a.m. start for Perkins County Schools on Monday. 

The National Weather Service in North Platte (NWS) had a report of seven inches in Grant and two in Madrid.

A Winter Storm Warning was issued Thursday afternoon from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday.

At noon on Friday, Nov. 30, NWS said they expected moderate to heavy snow accumulations to begin Friday evening with the bulk of the snowfall occurring late Friday through Saturday night, with light accumulations through Sunday. 

The storm was expected to be a wet event, starting with rain and turning to snow. 

They estimated Perkins County to receive anywhere from four to eight inches, with north central Nebraska being hit the hardest. 

NWS confirmed on Tuesday the storm happened as expected, with places in north central Nebraska receiving 13-14 inches of snow. 

Jayson Bishop with Midwest Electric estimated at least half of their customers lost power Saturday afternoon due to ice building up on the lines and then blowing together. Crews worked diligently through the weekend, with power to the last house restored Sunday night. 

PC Emergency Manager and Sheriff Jim Brueggeman said there was a semi-truck reported missing on Saturday night and another report of a stranded motorist. 

The truck was found on Sunday, having taken a wrong turn due to low visibility.