At a Glance

Ursa was a major blizzard in the High Plains during the final weekend of April 2017.Numerous roads were shut down due to the blizzard.Trees and power lines were knocked downed by winds up to 70 mph and heavy, wet snow.

Winter Storm Ursa broughtacrippling, destructive blizzard from the Texas panhandle to Nebraska in the final weekend of April 2017. Ursa caused vehicles to be stranded, downed trees and power lines and whipped up snow drifts up to 8 feet in one of the strongest snowstorms to slam the High Plainsso late in the spring.

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Ursa also brought heavy snow to the Rockies,and the Upper Midwest saw slushy accumulations as well.

High Plains Blizzard Recap

, including a long stretch of Interstate 70 west of Hays to the Colorado border. Kansas National Guard dispatched teams looking for stranded motorists, some of whichwererescued on Interstate 70 in Thomas County, emergency management told the National Weather Service (NWS).

A stretch of Interstate 80 west of Kearney, Nebraska, was also closed during the afternoon of April 30 due to multiple accidents.

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Here are some of storm reports from the Plains April 29-30:

Colby, Kansas: Estimated 14 to 20 inches of snowScott City, Kansas: Estimated 16 inches of snowHerndon, Kansas: 6 to 8 inches of snow measured in 90 minutesElkhart, Kansas: Major tree damage, snow drifts up to 8 feet and power outagesCambridge, Nebraska: Power poles broken; estimated up to 7 inches of snowRed Willow County, Nebraska: Power poles snapped from Danbury to LebanonNear Goodwell, Texas: 70-mph wind gustTexline, Texas: Up to 12 inches of snowArnold, Nebraska: Highway 92 blocked by heavy snow and wasclosedNear Callaway, Nebraska: Power lines have about 1 inch of ice and lights are flickering on and offBeaver City, Nebraska: Estimated 5 inches of snow; power outages in much of western Furnas CountyBoise City, Oklahoma: Up to 12 inches of snow.Thundersnow also occurredin several locations across western Kansas on April 30.

One of Heaviest/Latest High Plains Snowstorms?

The fact that this happened on the last weekend of April may leave you wondering how unusual Ursa was.

Given the High Plains, well, higher elevation, big spring and fall snowstorms are normal.

However, the snowfall totals we saw from Ursa were quite unusual for so late in the spring.

According to from the Western Regional Climate Center, the following are the record heaviest, latest-in-spring one- or two-day snowstorms for each of the following states:

Kansas:10 inches at McDonald on April 29, 1984 (one- andtwo-day record)Oklahoma:12 inches near Boise City on May 3, 1978 (one- and two-day record)Texas:12 inches at Stratford on May 3, 1978 (one- and two-day record)

If peak snow totals reported in western Kansas hold, Winter Storm Ursa would take the crown as producing the heaviest snowfall anywhere in the Sunflower State so late in the season.

Ursa's snow totals appear to be on par with the May 3, 1978, snowstorm peak totals in the Oklahoma and northern Texas panhandles, and produced more snow in the city of Amarillo (2 inches)than the storm a few days later in the calendar 39 years ago did (0.5 inches).

Rockies Snow Total Recap

Before pounding the High Plains, Ursa also brought snow to the Rockies. Here are selected snowfall totals from Ursa in that region April 27-30.

Colorado:39 inches near San Isabel; 25.1 inches in Genesee;2-5 inches in the Denver metro areaMontana:17 inches near Fishtail; 12.5inches near Red LodgeNew Mexico:16 inches in Ute Park; 8.4 inches near Santa FeWyoming:33.0inches near Lander; 23.0inches in Jackson Hole; 9.9inches inRiverton

On April 29, snow brought down tree limbs and power lines in portions of southeastern Colorado, including the Pueblo area.

Upper Midwest Snowfall

Slushy accumulations from Ursa also occurred in the Upper Midwestas the storm began to wind down on May 1.

Iowa:1.5 inches in SheldonMinnesota: 6 inches in RussellSouth Dakota: 6.7 inches near Chester

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Ursa

A lone tulip is draped with snow after a spring storm swept over the intermountain west early Saturday, April 29, 2017, in Englewood, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)