Drivers Stranded as Heavy Snow and Rain Inundate Western and Central US.
NTD: An eastbound stretch of Interstate-70 in Colorado has reopened, the state Transportation Department said, after a nine-hour closure left drivers stranded amid strong bouts of heavy mountain snow, widespread rain, and gusty winds that continue to sweep the West and push into the Central U.S.
Much of the West is again under winter weather alerts, bracing for the next round after wet and wintry conditions this week flooded roads, blew hurricane-force winds, knocked power out to thousands, and killed five people in Oregon.
The storm hovering over Colorado is expected to move out of the area Thursday morning and bring wet snow and isolated pockets of rain through Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa into the evening. It then will move through Minneapolis, bringing a mix rain, snow, and ice overnight.
Meanwhile, more than 16 million people in parts of California and Nevada are under flood watches Thursday morning in anticipation of a fresh set of storms along the West Coast in the next couple days. They include San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Oakland, and Reno. more here
It’s called winter…..
‘Drivers were caught off guard’?? This storm was in the news for almost a week before it happened.
Oh, and by the way, if you have lived in Colorado for any amount of time, you know that mountain driving conditions can change in minutes.
Go back to California!!
Been there, done that. Bad road to be on without chains in a snow storm.
There’s a reason they have that big flashing warning sign about tire chains when you pass by Vail, and its a serious reason.
One year I came up to the foot of Wolf Creek Pass at 3 am and the “Chains Required” sign was flashing. It was bitter cold and no one was around so I kept going. It was DRY all the way to the summit. Didn’t pass one vehicle.
wonder how all the electric cars faired?
At least if you get stuck in a electric car you can wait witb the heater running because you don’t have to worry about running out of gas.
Thirty years over the road and NEVER chained up. If it’s bad enough for chains, it’s bad enough to wait until the roads are cleared. Makes no difference either way time wise. Fifteen to twenty MPH vs waiting for a snow plow? Did it many a time…
In 1973, I worked at the Alpine Standard station in Vail. At night, after the station closed I would stay and put people’s chains on for $10. Nice gig.
You never knew what to expect weather-wise. Later, in Denver, I worked nights and skied 20 to 30 times a year. One day there was a terrible blizzard in Denver, but we had planned to go up and our rule was to always follow through. People thought we were crazy to head up in those conditions. When we got past the front range the sun came out and we had a beautiful day skiing fresh powder.
Another time, I was skiing with a girl friend and toward the end of the day it started snowing big time. From Silverthorne all the way up to the Eisenhower Tunnel it was a parking lot. She had a gold VW bug, and we put on the chains. For 3 hours we maneuvered up the hill, using the shoulder, weaving in and out of the motionless cars, and people helping us push cars out of the way when there was no passage. Finally we emerged out of the pack of cars and looked at a silent, smooth, stretch of unbroken white, 300 yards from the western entrance to the tunnel. We waved goodbye and chugged right on up and through. The other side, heading down to Denver wasn’t too bad, so we removed the chains and motored on down to the bar.
At least you know you can warm yourself on your burning EV…