DES MOINES, Iowa — Days of frigid temperatures and a surge of moisture caused hazardous driving conditions in the Midwest and Plains to begin the weekend, with dozens of collisions reported and authorities recommending motorists to avoid the roads.
Crashes were reported in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri, although the Omaha area appeared to be the most heavily impacted as of Friday evening.
A Winter Weather Advisory was issued for more than 10 million inhabitants in the region, with an Ice Storm Warning in force for counties between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, where up to 0.3 inches of ice accumulation was forecast through Saturday evening.
“Potentially treacherous travel Friday night into Saturday morning as freezing rain develops (greater than 80% chance) and coats surfaces with ice,” forecasters from the National Weather Service office in Des Moines warned. “Freezing rain will transition to rain from south to north across the state into Saturday.”
Forecasters predict 0.1-0.2 inches of ice accretion north of Interstate 80 in Iowa, outside the Ice Storm Warning zones. According to the FOX Forecast Center, further ice accumulations are anticipated in regions such as Madison, Wisconsin, Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota, and northwest Illinois.
Total snow and sleet accumulations in the advisory region may be less than an inch, with ice accumulations ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 inches.
“Potentially treacherous travel Friday night into Saturday morning as freezing rain develops (greater than 80% chance) and coats surfaces with ice,” forecasters from the National Weather Service office in Des Moines warned. “Freezing rain will transition to rain from south to north across the state into Saturday.”
A large ice event might cause power disruptions due to downed trees and power lines.
“Just a half-inch of ice can add up to 280 pounds of weight to a power line,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Michael Estime stated. “Depending on how much ice we see, downed tree limbs, maybe a couple of power outages into early Saturday morning, Iowa, something that we’ll be watching.”
Interstate 80 is shut down outside of Omaha, Nebraska.
Troopers from the Nebraska State Patrol closed Interstate 80 west of Omaha on Friday evening due to multiple collisions and hazardous driving conditions.
The area was under a Winter Weather Advisory at the time, with up to.2″ of ice expected by the early weekend.
Traffic cams showed vehicles queued up for kilometers as drivers waited for first responders to respond to incidents.
Scenes were similar further east in the Hawkeye State, where first responders were busy dealing with collisions.
“First responders, including Trooper Hutson near Mondamin, are assisting with many crashes throughout our state. “With rapidly changing weather conditions, we strongly advise avoiding travel if possible,” the Iowa State Patrol wrote on social media.
Parts of Interstate 880 in western Iowa were closed from Friday evening to Saturday after a semi-truck appeared to jackknife on the slippery road.
Travel conditions were predicted to deteriorate until daybreak Saturday as a mix of precipitation-coated highways.
Iowa transportation authorities told FOX News that they were prepping certain roads for winter weather, but they cautioned drivers to drive with caution throughout the storm.
Much of the frozen precipitation is likely to melt by the end of the weekend when the region warms up significantly.
