A spring storm with winter weather canceled and delayed several flights and closed highways on Tuesday.
Roughly 100-miles of Interstate 25 and a 125-mile stretch of I-80 were closed in Wyoming n Tuesday due to tornadoes and snow. More than a foot of snow fell in Lander and there were two foot snow drifts in Pine Bluffs. In places like Sweetwater County, winds reached up to 71 mph, damaging a marine and windows.
"Spring storms are not unusual, but they can be very dangerous," said Greg Fuller, operations director for the Transportation Department, according to Fox News.
April snowtorms aren't very rare in Wyoming and the mountains but this storm comes after a quiet winter. On Tuesday, it was 12 degrees in Cheyenne, which was the coldest temperature on record for that day, breaking the previous record of 23.
"I'm pretty confident that this particular storm is more widespread and has caused more travel problems and closures than any storm we've had this calendar year certainly," said Bruce Burrows, spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
About 10 inches of snow fell in the Colorado mountains while another five to ten inches as possible. About a foot of snow was expected for Denver. As a result, 464 flight were canceled at Denver International Airport and due to deicing, many departing flights were delayed by up to half an hour.
The storm started out in California on Monday. There was no snow in California and Arizona but there were strong winds and rain which knocked out power for thousands and caused dust storms. About 13,000 people were left without power in Southern California. Blowing dust also caused some stretches of highway to close in California and Arizona due to low visibility.
More high winds, downed trees and power outages are expected as the storm continues to move east.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
