75 plow trucks cleared Lincoln’s Arterial Streets and Bus Routes Tuesday night and Wednesday, but residential streets will not be plowed.  The Mayor’s Office announced late Wednesday afternoon that “Based on measurement data gathered across the City, snowfall during the February 19 to 20 weather event did not meet the 4-inch threshold to warrant plowing residential streets.”  The statement added that “A favorable weather forecast over the next two days should accelerate snow melt.”

Motorists are advised to watch for ice during the Thursday morning commute because of re-freezing after Wednesday’s sunshine and warmer temperatures.

The next challenge will be a storm expected to move into Southeast Nebraska on Friday.  “An estimated 1 inch of rain will fall before colder temperatures turn it to snow” according to Becky Kern at the National Weather Service in Valley.  She added “This one looks, by far, to be the strongest we’ve had all year.”  Along with potentially deep snowfall, she said, the coming weekend storm will include strong winds.

In the 24 hours from late Tuesday to late Wednesday, State Troopers handled 166 motorist assist calls, helped with 30 crashes and helped with 17 other incidents such as flat tires and slide-offs.  A State Patrol spokesman estimated that around 30 such calls are handled on an average, non-storm day.