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Big Midwestern snowstorm leads to 25-vehicle crash
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The first widespread snowstorm of the season began a slow crawl across the Midwest on Thursday, creating treacherous driving conditions that, in Iowa, led to a 25-vehicle pileup that killed one person.
Drivers were blinded by blowing snow and didn’t see vehicles that had slowed or stopped on Interstate 80 about 60 miles north of Des Moines, state police said. A chain reaction of crashes involving semitrailers and passenger cars closed down a section of the highway.
Drivers throughout the Midwest were harried by heavy snow and strong winds that combined for blizzard conditions in areas from Kansas to Wisconsin. Those who planned to fly before the Christmas holiday didn’t fare much better.
Snow, wind and thunderstorms forced delays and cancellations at some of the nation’s busiest airports, including those in Dallas and Chicago. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people lost power as heavy snow and strong winds pulled down lines.
While the snow had tapered off by sunrise in Des Moines, Iowa transportation officials had advised drivers to stay off highways until midnight, and police repeated that warning after the crash north of the city.
“It’s time to listen to warnings and get off the road,” said Col. David Garrison, of the Iowa State Patrol. “Iowa’s highways and interstates remain in poor condition for travel.”
Conditions weren’t much better on city streets. Thomas Shubert, a clerk at a store in Gretna near Omaha, said his brother drove him to work in his 4-by-4 truck but that some of his neighbors weren’t so fortunate.
“I saw some people in my neighborhood trying to get out. They made it a few feet, and that was about it,” Shubert said. “I haven’t seen many cars on the road. There are a few brave souls out, but mostly trucks and plows.”
The heavy, wet snow made some unplowed streets in Des Moines nearly impossible to navigate in anything other than a four-wheel drive vehicle. Even streets that had been plowed remained snow-packed and slippery. Jackknifed semitrailers were reported on sections of Interstates 80 and 35 east and north of the city, with portions of the roads closed until the accidents could be cleared.
While the snow had tapered off by sunrise in Des Moines, transportation officials warned drivers to stay off highways until midnight. Strong winds were creating whiteout conditions. The airport at Creston, Iowa, recorded the highest winds, with a gust of 53 mph, said Kevin Skow, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the city.
Strong wind contributed to tens of thousands of power outages in Arkansas, Iowa and Nebraska. While snow pulled down most lines in Iowa, others were felled by big gusts, said Justin Foss, a spokesman for Alliant Energy, which had 13,000 customers without power in central Iowa.
http://news.yahoo.com/big-midwestern-sno…59755.html
2012-12-20 12:55:43
Source: http://yeoldefalseflag.com/thread-big-midwestern-snowstorm-leads-to-25-vehicle-crash
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