Across Southeast Nebraska, weather watchers heeded the warnings on Friday.
Stocking up on groceries. Topping off gas tanks. Even buying generators.
“I think people are trying to be prepared, especially with the reports on this storm,†said Virginia Dorf, manager of the Tractor Supply store in Beatrice. “I saw one report calling it ‘crippling.’â€
Most of Saturday is expected to remain quiet on the weather front, but preparations for a possible ice storm -- a relatively rare winter event in these parts -- will likely only ratchet up.
With chatter of slick streets ahead and possible power outages, shoppers on Friday crowded the aisles at the north Lincoln Hy-Vee to stock up on essentials should they be stranded at home over the holiday weekend -- and beyond.
“It’s absurdly busy, record breaking," said Davarius Foreman, a manager at the grocery store at 27th and Superior streets. "We don’t see this unless it’s the day before Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas."
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Extra employees were called in to help keep the checkout lines moving and to restock the shelves.
In Lincoln, forecasters predict the winter storm will arrive Sunday perhaps as a sleet-freezing rain mix before freezing rain becomes more widespread.
The timing of the precipitation and the difference a degree on the thermometer can make makes predicting the storm a tricky proposition.
But forecasters and officials were sounding the same warning on Friday.
“Gather supplies to outlast the storm, stay informed of changing weather conditions and stay off the roads," said Bryan Tuma of the state's emergency management agency.
A winter storm watch, set to begin Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, covers all of Nebraska except the Panhandle. In southwest and north-central Nebraska, heavy snow is the concern.
Two counties in south-central Nebraska -- Nuckolls and Thayer -- are included in the same ice storm warning that covers large areas of Kansas and Missouri.
In Nebraska, the heaviest ice accumulations are likely to occur in counties along the Kansas border. But significant accumulation is possible as far north as the I-80 corridor.
At the Tractor Supply in Beatrice, farmers were stocking up on ice melt and feed for animals.
Road crews made their own preparations. In Lincoln, Public Works crews started applying anti-ice brine at midnight Friday to all arterial streets, bus routes and school routes.
Utility crews, too, will be on standby. Lincoln Electric System asks people to report any outages at or 888-365-2412.
AAA offers this advice for those who have to drive:
* Give yourself time to stop, and step on the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids.
* Have a winter driver kit that includes a bag of sand, salt or cat litter, a small snow shovel, a snow brush, traction mats, flashlight, ice scraper, cloth or paper towels, blanket, warning glares or triangles and a fully charged cellphone.
* If you’re going through a skid, steer in the direction you want the vehicle to go and avoid slamming on the brakes.
Among those at the grocery store on Friday, Teresa and Michael Sanchez said that they bought a few extra things so they can wait out the storm at home.
Texas transplants, Teresa said the store was “busy, but worth it.â€
Because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, area schools are closed Monday.