BEATRICE - Ahead of an anticipated major winter storm, the City of Beatrice is putting in place a Snow Emergency, which will extend from 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 4th, through 8:00 a.m. on Monday, January 6th.

During that time period, it’s unlawful to park along Snow Emergency Routes.  City officials are asking that all vehicles be kept off the streets to assist snow plows in clearing roadways.

City Street crews will prioritize clearing emergency and priority routes first, and it may take a few days for crews to reach residential streets.  A map of snow emergency routes is available on the City of Beatrice website at:

http://bit.ly/snw-rts

A winter storm watch is in effect for southeast Nebraska along with parts of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa.....from Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening.   Forecasters say snowfall totals across the region could range from 5-to-12 inches...accompanied by a light glazing of ice.  Some regions could see snow amounts as high as 18 inches, by the time the storm passes through. 

The weather service says travel could be difficult....and in some areas treacherous and potentially life-threatening....with whiteout conditions possible.