Just a few days after a powerful blizzard swept across several northern Plains states, residents of the midsection of the country are bracing for yet another blast of cold, miserable weather and travel headaches.
On Monday and Tuesday, snow, wind and zero visibility virtually shut down parts of Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and North and South Dakota, stranding motorists, closing highways and causing numerous traffic accidents.
Snow drifts as high as four feet and whiteout conditions made it nearly impossible for snowplows to clear roads, and hampered efforts to rescue truck drivers and other travelers stuck in their vehicles.
A 345-mile stretch of I-90 in South Dakota was closed for almost two days, as was Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Dickinson, a section of I-80 from Nebraska into Wyoming, and parts of Interstate 25.
Even as far south as central Kansas, high winds toppled over big rigs on 1-70, sending many people to local hospitals. Tornadoes were also reported Monday in eastern Nebraska and Iowa, at the leading edge of the storm.
Though the weather system is now slowly heading east toward Minnesota and points east, another storm is headed directly for Colorado and Wyoming. It already slamming parts of Wyoming, and is expected to hit Colorado by 7:00 Friday morning before moving on to Kansas.
Snowfall in the Denver metro area is expected to total between eight and 16 inches tomorrow, which has prompted authorities to warn motorists not to drive during afternoon rush hour, when the snow and wind are expected to be the heaviest.
Those making long-haul trips through Colorado and Kansas via I-70 and I-35 are also advised to postpone their trips because wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour and heavy snow as far east as Wichita will make driving conditions dangerous.
The storm will be a boon for spring skiers, as a foot of new snow is predicted to fall in Colorado over the next 24 hours. In Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains, up to 17 inches of snow has already fallen.
Frontier, United and Southwest airlines cancelled more than 100 flights out of Denver International Airport Thursday morning in anticipation of the blizzard. Frontier is offering free standby flights through Friday to ticketholders affected by the storm, and United is allowing customers to change their flights without incurring change fees.
Another 100 flights into Denver from airports as far away as Baltimore and Newark and have also been cancelled or delayed. Travelers are advised to check with their airline if they plan to travel to or from Colorado through Friday afternoon to see if their flight is still scheduled to depart.
Though many were hoping that the onset of spring last week would bring and end to the snowstorms, March is actually the snowiest month in the mountains and plains states. This latest blizzard could bring the heaviest snow in more than a year.
By Karen Elowitt for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related links: USA Today, Associated Press, Examiner.com, CBS4 Denver, Denver Post, Weather.gov
Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:
