Crippling Blizzard Shuts Down Major Highways in the Plains: Dangerous Driving Conditions and Impacts on Holiday Travel

2023-12-27 01:25:00

Blizzard closes I-80 in Nebraska

Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Kyle Diefenbaugh tells FOX Weather how the blizzard in the Plains shut down major highways and describes the treacherous driving conditions.

A dangerous and now deadly storm featuring both blizzard conditions and freezing rain is snarling travel along major interstates in the central U.S. for the millions of holiday travelers hitting the road or catching a flight as the Christmas holiday wraps-up.

The storm claimed a life in Kansas when an elderly woman died in a crash along a snowy state highway on Christmas evening.

The driver of a pickup truck heading west on Kansas Highway 156 lost control on the icy road and slid into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with an eastbound SUV near Larned, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. An 86-year-old woman riding in the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. Three others were hospitalized.

COMPLEX JANUARY FORECAST SHOWS EL NIÑO, POLAR VORTEX, LACK OF SNOW ALL COMING INTO PLAY THIS WINTER

Blowing snow in Goodland, Kansas on Tuesday. ( @Brandon_RTWX / X)

Ice in Merrick County, Nebraska, caused another driver to lose control. The car rolled over several times. A child was ejected from the car and was rushed to a trauma center. Five more occupants were rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff.

Ice caused an injury, rollover crash in Merrick County, Nebraska. (Merrick County Sheriff’s Office / FOX Weather)

The Nebraska DOT closed Interstate 80 and Highway 30 from the Wyoming line to Lexington, Nebraska, because snow and high winds “continue to make travel impossible.” The state saw 28 crashes and almost 150 weather-related incidents on Christmas alone.

Jack-knifed tractor-trailers block portions of I-80 on Christmas. (Nebraska State Patrol / FOX Weather)

“I was still getting some crashes out in western Nebraska. That’s the reason we closed down the interstate,” Nebraska State Patrol Lieutenant Kyle Diefenbaugh told FOX Weather on Tuesday. “Mostly due to blowing snow. Wind gusts up to regarding 50 mile an hour are blowing across the road and making icy patches. And some of our travelers just are slowing down and causing wrecks. So we had to shut down the interstate and try to get those cleaned up.”

Multiple semi trucks wrecked on I-80 in Nebraska during the Christmas 2023 blizzard. (Image credit: Nebraska State Patrol)
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The Nebraska State Patrol closed I-80 on Tuesday due to snow and ice.
(Nebraska State Patrol)

Snowy road conditions from central to western Nebraska around midnight between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
(@NEStatePatrol / X)

Snowy-covered road in Council Bluffs in southwestern Iowa. Dec. 25, 2023.
(Lourdes Taño Tuyan Gross / Facebook)

Blizzard conditions have led to several other crashes and, at times, closed roads in Kansas, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota as well, thanks to blinding snow and high winds. Drivers have been asked to avoid travel until the weather improves.

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So far, snow totals in Nebraska have topped 10 inches in a handful of Nebraska cities. With wind gusts to 60 mph, as reported in Sidney, drivers faced white-out conditions. The top wind gust came in at 73 mph, just one mph shy of hurricane-force in Rapid City, South Dakota.

“Motorists should not use secondary highways to avoid Interstate closures,” South Dakota Department of Transportation officials posted on the agency’s website. “Significantly reduced visibilities and blizzard-like conditions will make travel very dangerous during this storm system.”

Roads covered in inch of ice in some areas

Freezing rain encased trees, grasses and roadways in ice in Graceville, Minnesota for Christmas. (@carolbauer320 / X / FOX Weather)

North Dakota Highway Patrol closed Interstate 29 from Grand Forks northward to the Canadian border Tuesday, with many area roads completely ice-covered. A few towns west of Fargo along the I-94 corridor saw up to an inch of ice over the past two days.

The National Weather Service said additional ice accretion of up to a quarter inch will occur over eastern North Dakota, with locally higher amounts of up to a half inch.

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State transportation officials in Colorado and Kansas temporally closed I-70 from Goodland, Kansas, west to just east of Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday morning, due to safety concerns. The interstate has since reopened.

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Parts of Interstate 90 also had temporary closures during the storm through South Dakota.

Blizzard Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings continue

Blizzard Warnings have been issued in the Plains through Wednesday as the storm brings gusty winds and blinding snow, while Ice Storm Warnings are in effect for eastern North Dakota and parts of northeastern South Dakota through Tuesday evening for “significant” ice accretions.

BLIZZARD WARNINGS CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

Parts of southeastern North Dakota remain under a No Travel Advisory due to snow accumulation, icy roads, and reduced visibility. Additionally, adjacent areas of northern Minnesota have dangerous and icy roads.

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More than 381 flights were delayed Tuesday at Denver International Airport, with nearly 20 cancelations reported by FlightAware.

Up to 4 more inches of snow might fall into Wednesday morning in areas.

HERE’S WHY ‘BLIZZARD ALLEY’ IS IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS

CHRISTMAS TRAVEL TROUBLE: WHERE WEATHER COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR FLIGHTS DURING HOLIDAY

Travel conditions will improve drastically on Wednesday in the northern Plains, but snow will take aim at the Midwest through Thursday.

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