Traveling during the hectic holiday week was difficult due to an intense winter storm that caused blizzards and caused heavy snowfall, freezing rain, and strong winds throughout the Plains and upper Midwest.
Strong wind gusts from the storm on Monday and Tuesday—occasionally reaching 50 to 60 mph, with isolated gusts reaching 75 mph—caused blizzard conditions and made travel “difficult to near impossible,” according to the National Weather Service.
This included regions that had blizzard warnings in effect on Monday and Tuesday, including areas of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming. When severe winds and snow mix for at least three hours, it results in blizzards, which limit visibility to a quarter of a mile or less.
As of Tuesday night, a significant portion of the western Nebraskan highway system was closed due to limited visibility. According to the state Department of Transportation, westbound Interstate 80 and Highway 30 were closed from Kearney, in the heart of the state, to the Wyoming state line, a distance of around 270 miles. Furthermore, the transportation department and state police reported that eastbound traffic on the roadways was prohibited from Wyoming to North Platte, a distance of approximately 179 miles.
The National Weather Service said that a foot or more of snow fell in certain areas of South Dakota, including 13.8 ” in Gregory and 12 inches in Deadwood and Spearfish. According to the agency, Norfolk, Nebraska, received seven inches of snow, and Aurora, Colorado, received 7.5 inches.
There could be widespread interruptions to transport throughout the area, the weather service issued a warning. Locals were advised to remain off the roads, but if they must, they should pack survival kits and stay in their cars in case they become stranded.
Over the Central and Northern Plains, blizzard and ice storm warnings were expected to start expiring late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Through early Wednesday morning, there is still a chance of light to moderate snowfall in some areas of the region, along with rain and freezing rain.
On Wednesday, the freezing rain will stop over the Northern Plains, the snowfall will mostly stop by the end of the day over the Midwest, and the Appalachian Mountains will no longer be in danger of excessive rainfall.
There is a level 1 of 4 minor danger of excessive rainfall on Wednesday for portions of the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast I-95 corridor. New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC are among the major cities that are at risk of flooding. On Wednesday, there may be travel and flight delays in all of the main Northeastern cities.
I declared my desire for a snowy Christmas.
Bradley Sanders, one traveler, told CNN that on Tuesday, he was traveling from Denver to Chicago when the blizzard struck. At around midday, he stopped to charge his car near Ogallala, Nebraska. He quickly found out the highway was closed, so he made reservations for a motel to stay the night. He mentioned that a queue of stranded drivers was waiting for a room at the motel.
Amanda Dawn Benitez told CNN on Tuesday that she was also stranded in Ogallala. She was taking her husband, son, and 2-pound Chihuahua with her on her journey from Twin Falls, Idaho, to McDonough, Georgia. They have been traveling in her husband’s 18-wheeler because he drives a truck, and they intend to stay there Tuesday night. Alabama native Benitez claimed she had never seen so much snow in her life.
She remarked, “I said I didn’t want a blizzard; I wanted a white Christmas.” Benitez reported that her chihuahua and kid are having fun playing in the snow.
On Tuesday, the primary winter weather hazard for several locations changed from snow to ice.
In sections of the northern Plains and upper Midwest on Tuesday, a mixture of sleet and freezing rain threatened to create dangerously ice roadways and walkways in addition to sporadic power outages. Ice storm warnings were in effect for parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas through Tuesday night.
Due to terrible winter road conditions, residents in 14 North Dakota counties are recommended to stay off the roads entirely on Tuesday, according to a statement from the state’s Department of Transportation. Due to “multiple traffic incidents,” westbound lanes on around 50 miles of Interstate 94 across the state were closed on Tuesday morning.
According to the agency on Tuesday, there were reports of freezing rain from ice storms in the Dakotas, with Verona, North Dakota, reporting an inch of the precipitation.
It was predicted that the storm would start to weaken Tuesday night over the central United States and end up losing most of its strength early on Wednesday. The Plains may see a few snow showers or a mix of rain and wet snow, but the widespread, disruptive weather is expected to end by midweek.
On Christmas Day, accidents and road closures started.
Parts of the central United States experienced severe circumstances on Monday due to the storm’s deposit of a hazardous mixture of snow, ice, and strong winds.
Tractor-trailers jackknifed and became stopped on westbound Interstate 80 near York on Monday morning and early afternoon, causing cars to collide and slide off the road, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
The Dakotas were severely hit by heavy snowfall further north. According to the South Dakota Department of Transportation, I-90 was stopped in both directions for more than 200 miles between Mitchell and Wall on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Additionally, the department said that eastbound lanes were closed for the roughly 50 miles between Wall and Rapid City. Tuesday, “unless weather and road conditions change,” the westbound lanes were predicted to stay open.
“Using secondary routes to get around Interstate closures is not a good idea for drivers. Travel will be extremely hazardous throughout this storm system due to significantly decreased visibilities and blizzard-like conditions, the department stated.
With ice and snow covering the roads, the South Dakota Highway Patrol reported that it was called to multiple collisions in Watertown.
“Please take it slowly, never use the cruise control, and buckle up at all times. The South Dakota Highway Patrol asked people to give the snow plows some space to work as they are currently out.
