Blizzard conditions across Nebraska lead to Interstate 80 pileup, flight cancellations
By Molly Ashford 
, Nebraska Public Media
March 15, 2026, 6:44 p.m. ·
Wind gusts of up to 65 mph caused near-whiteout conditions across Nebraska on Sunday, leading to a multi-car crash on Interstate 80 and dozens of canceled flights out of Omaha and Lincoln.
According to scanner traffic, the Greenwood Fire Department was dispatched to the first crash near the westbound Greenwood exit on I-80 shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday. Responding units reported multiple successive crashes and requested the Interstate to be shut down.
The extent of injuries from the crash is not yet known. Bryan Health in Lincoln said in a statement that the hospital was treating four patients from the crash. Two were treated and released, and two remained in the hospital in fair condition.
The Cass County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post that an emergency vehicle was hit while responding to the crash. The Sheriff’s Office urged people to stay off the roads until conditions improve.
“Roadways throughout the county are extremely slick and conditions are expected to worsen as the storm continues,” the post said. “Our deputies, fire departments, EMS crews, and tow/recovery services are fully engaged responding to crashes and stranded motorists, and the weather is making those responses slower and significantly more dangerous.”
As of 6 p.m., according to Nebraska 511, I-80 remained closed in both directions between Gretna at mile marker 434 and the Greenwood exit at mile marker 420.
The crash came as blizzard conditions impacted much of central and eastern Nebraska on Sunday. Parts of northeastern Nebraska were under a blizzard warning on Sunday, and most of the state was in a high wind warning.
At Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, most flights scheduled to leave Sunday afternoon and evening were significantly delayed or cancelled. According to FlightAware, 31% of arriving flights and 38% of departing flights scheduled for Sunday at Eppley were cancelled. Lincoln’s airport saw 11 canceled flights on Sunday, according to FlightAware.