Be careful out there!!

[Creek Jackson]

AMARILLO, Texas — A blinding snowstorm blew across the Plains on Saturday, causing at least two deaths and dozens of injuries in numerous multi-car pileups and forcing authorities to close portions of several major highways.

One person died in a chain-reaction pileup involving more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 40, police said. Authorities said it would take a few days to determine exactly how many were involved.

Eighteen people were taken to hospitals, two with life-threatening injuries, Sgt. Michael Poston said.

Many in the pileup were holiday travelers, including families with small children not dressed for the weather, Sgt. Shawn McLeland. Other drivers spotted them and opened Christmas presents to provide warmer clothing for the children.

The tangle of twisted cars and trucks shut down the interstate for most of the day. Authorities believe the pileup was caused by blowing snow and the resulting zero visibility.

In northeast Kansas, at least one person was killed in a 30-car pileup on Interstate 70, prompting authorities to close a 40-mile stretch of the highway. The pileup occurred about 30 miles west of Topeka.

The fierce snowstorm caused another wreck involving 20 to 40 vehicles, including three tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 29 in St. Joseph in western Missouri. Police closed about 100 miles of I-29 to the Iowa state line.

The Plains storm also blew heavy snow across Oklahoma and parts of Nebraska and Iowa, a region still recovering from a severe ice storm early last week that knocked out electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

"We may see some whiteouts in the open areas," said Craig Cogil, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa. Parts of the state could get between 6 and 10 inches of snow by Sunday morning.

Strong winds could make traveling hazardous all weekend, Cogil said.

Wind was blowing at sustained speeds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph in Oklahoma, where U.S. 412 near Mooreland in western Oklahoma was closed after 15 to 20 cars slid off the road or had been involved in collisions, authorities said.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a six-car collision on U.S. 64 in the state's northwest corner involved an ambulance that was carrying victims from the scene of another accident. Low visibility forced the closure of some highways.

Farther west, Colorado roads remained icy in spots following a storm Friday. Eastbound I-70 was closed about 20 miles east of Denver for more than two hours after a wreck in which five people, including an 8-year-old girl, were injured.

[Trukrswyfe]

Yep it is very slickery.

[golfhobo]

Hey Creek:

WHICH "saturday" are they talking about? is this CURRENT reports as of the day you posted this?

I'm wondering, because I have been "criss crossing" the country through these exact areas for the last couple of weeks. I've managed to "dodge" most of the bad weather, though it was usually just ahead of, or behind, me!

It's been nasty out there! The Ice Storm that hovered over MO for a few days was hard to get through on my way out LAST week, but almost gone before I returned. Although, there was a fatal accident involving a truck only an HOUR after I passed through St. Lou on the eastbound trip!

If this report was for TODAY, well..... once again, I was in Denver and got out of there just ahead of it. Home now.

Last week, going through Idaho, I witnessed several accidents, and almost WAS one! A "swing out" I think Rocky calls it! Lucky for me, I knew how to restore traction to my tandems, and got them back behind me before my trailer could T-bone itself on the backend of a truck/trailer that had almost stopped on a curve. Seems the sand trucks had run out JUST before the REAL important point on the highway!

There will be several more months of really bad weather out there, folks! Be careful!

Due to the global warming that SOME say doesn't exist.... surface temps are much different the last few years than SOME of these areas are used to. This causes icing in areas that are not used to it, nor prepared for it!

I highly recommend spending a few bucks on one of those temp recorders that you mount on your bumper (or wherever) that will give you instant info on the outside temp. Roads can ice up in a matter of seconds when the temp is right around freezing. Without snowfall, that means ANY water or condensation (even fog) can freeze on the road and make it slippery!

Pay CLOSE attention to the elevation you are driving at. What LOOKS like flat Texas land can be a "high desert plain" and can be as much as 10 degrees colder than a similar looking area only 30 miles in either direction! WIND can also contribute to road freeze!

Remember that the WESTERN and NORTHERN slopes of mountains can be 10 degrees or more colder than Eastern and Southern. That means NEVER "top" a mountain in winter in even the SAME gear you climbed it in!!

Anyway, just be careful out there folks! Many of you have never driven in winter conditions in SOME of the areas you NOW find yourselves in! Just because you KNOW how to drive in winter in YOUR area, does not mean you are prepared for the tricks Mother Nature has planned for you "out there."

Wish you ALL a SAFE and Happy New Year!!

[golfhobo]

Sorry, not my fault

[golfhobo]

Sorry again, it must be a right wing conspiracy!

[ajritter04]

Yes, Golfhobo...to all 3 of your posts, the "Saturday" in the story is 12/22/07 - today.

Saw the report about the pile-up in Amarillo on CNN earlier today..looks like nasty stuff.

[Creek Jackson]

Hey Creek:

WHICH "saturday" are they talking about? is this CURRENT reports as of the day you posted this?

I'm wondering, because I have been "criss crossing" the country through these exact areas for the last couple of weeks. I've managed to "dodge" most of the bad weather, though it was usually just ahead of, or behind, me!

It's been nasty out there! The Ice Storm that hovered over MO for a few days was hard to get through on my way out LAST week, but almost gone before I returned. Although, there was a fatal accident involving a truck only an HOUR after I passed through St. Lou on the eastbound trip!

If this report was for TODAY, well..... once again, I was in Denver and got out of there just ahead of it. Home now.

Last week, going through Idaho, I witnessed several accidents, and almost WAS one! A "swing out" I think Rocky calls it! Lucky for me, I knew how to restore traction to my tandems, and got them back behind me before my trailer could T-bone itself on the backend of a truck/trailer that had almost stopped on a curve. Seems the sand trucks had run out JUST before the REAL important point on the highway!

There will be several more months of really bad weather out there, folks! Be careful!

Due to the global warming that SOME say doesn't exist.... surface temps are much different the last few years than SOME of these areas are used to. This causes icing in areas that are not used to it, nor prepared for it!

I highly recommend spending a few bucks on one of those temp recorders that you mount on your bumper (or wherever) that will give you instant info on the outside temp. Roads can ice up in a matter of seconds when the temp is right around freezing. Without snowfall, that means ANY water or condensation (even fog) can freeze on the road and make it slippery!

Pay CLOSE attention to the elevation you are driving at. What LOOKS like flat Texas land can be a "high desert plain" and can be as much as 10 degrees colder than a similar looking area only 30 miles in either direction! WIND can also contribute to road freeze!

Remember that the WESTERN and NORTHERN slopes of mountains can be 10 degrees or more colder than Eastern and Southern. That means NEVER "top" a mountain in winter in even the SAME gear you climbed it in!!

Anyway, just be careful out there folks! Many of you have never driven in winter conditions in SOME of the areas you NOW find yourselves in! Just because you KNOW how to drive in winter in YOUR area, does not mean you are prepared for the tricks Mother Nature has planned for you "out there."

Wish you ALL a SAFE and Happy New Year!!

Sorry for the delayed response. That news clip was news for Saturday December 22, 2007.

Creek

[nickbtubas]

its terrible in MO. had one helluva time getting by

[Sizzle]

I was in that storm on Saturday. I had to stop and clean the wipers on my truck twice in a 10 mile stretch, decided it was time to stop for the night. Stopped 80 miles east of K.C., MO. Everyone was talking about the pileup in K.C. on the 29 and we figured we wouldn't have any parking by the time we got there anyway so I said I can't keep stopping twice every 10 miles to clean the wipers and called it a night.

The roads were fine all the way to Denver on Sunday except in Topeka. It looked like they hadn't paid their plow bill. Honest to god, all the way in and after Topeka the roads were fine. Can't understand why Topeka didn't even touch the road. Go figure!!!

I lived in Missouri for 13 years and every winter they get HORRIBLE ICE STORMS. They have no clue how to drive in that weather. It seems to me if you get that every year you'd understand that flying down the hammer lane at 60 m.p.h.+ would be detrimental. But they just don't get it. I must say, I've never seen worse drivers. There must have been easily 10-15 cars off the road on Sunday morning in that 80 mile stretch. Anyone driving through should have known to stop. It was blinding at times.