Visibility poor in Kearney, stranded drivers in Phelps County

KEARNEY, Neb. - Visibility is so bad in parts of south central Nebraska today that emergency personnel don't feel comfortable traveling outside of towns.

This video is from Kearney, but conditions south of town are much worse. The Phelps County Sheriff sent a message to media shortly after noon that there was zero visibility in the county. The Sheriff's Office received several reports of stranded drivers but deputies were having trouble getting to them because of the heavy snow and high winds.

Snow is expected to fall into the evening hours and wind speeds are likely to increase to more than 35 miles per hour. Officials discourage people from traveling.

Kearney is in a snow emergency until 6:00 Thursday night. City officials say there is no parking allowed on snow emergency routes and violators will be ticketed and towed.