Blizzards and winter storms sweep central US, travel turns dangerous during holiday season
A winter storm, fuelled by a blizzard, swept across the plains and upper midwest United States as the regions faced strong winds, freezing rain and heavy snow, which created travelling dangerous during the busy holiday week
NWS says travel 'near to impossible'
The strong wind gusts of the storm, which ranged between 50 to 60 mph on Monday and Tuesday along with isolated gusts up to 75 mph, led to blizzard conditions and made travel “difficult to near impossible," said the National Weather Service (NWS). They covered parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming, where the officials had issued blizzard warnings on Monday and Tuesday.
(Photograph:Others)
Highways shut down amid low visibility
Huge swaths of highway were closed in western Nebraska on Tuesday (Dec 26) amid low visibility levels. As per the Nebraska State Patrol, “due to hazardous travel conditions and services filling up in many areas" westbound Interstate 80 and Highway 30 were closed from Lexington.
(Photograph:Others)
13.8 inches of snow covers regions
A foot or more of snow covered parts of South Dakota, which included 13.8 inches in Gregory and 12 inches in Spearfish and Deadwood, as per the National Weather Service. Around 7.5 inches of snow were received in Aurora, Colorado, and Norfolk, Nebraska received 7 inches, said the service.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Widespread travel disruptions
The weather service warned, “Widespread travel disruptions are likely across the region. The residents were asked to avoid travelling, and were asked to drive through roads - if need be - then to carry survival kits and remain in their vehicles if they are stranded. The agency wrote on X, “A major winter storm will continue to impact parts of the northern/central Plains and Upper Midwest with heavy snow, freezing rain, and strong winds through Tuesday night. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds (gusts up to 55 mph) will produce blizzard conditions for central South Dakota into parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado resulting in difficult to near impossible travel.”
(Photograph:Others)
White Christmas
Throughout Christmas Day, travel conditions remained most hampered in the Plains, Midwest, and South. “While a White Christmas may be exciting for those nestled at home, the heavy snowfall rates and reduced visibilities due to blowing snow will make for hazardous, to even impossible, travel conditions,” said the NWS forecast.
(Photograph:Others)
Risk of excessive rainfall, flood threat in major cities
On Wednesday (Dec 27), there remained a marginal risk of excessive rainfall between levels 1 of 4 in parts of the I-95 corridor in the northern Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Some of the major cities which faced flood threats were Washington, DC; Philadelphia; and New York City. Delays in flights remained possible across the major Northeast cities.
(Photograph:Reuters)