A major ice storm created dangerous driving conditions in Iowa and eastern Nebraska this weekend and forced the temporary closure of Interstate 80 after several cars and trucks slid off the road.
When the storm hit Friday evening, many events across the region were canceled and businesses announced plans to open late Saturday night as officials urged people to stay home if possible. However, the temperature rose so much in the afternoon that the snow melted at most places.
“Fortunately there’s some warm air coming in behind it that makes it temporary,” said meteorologist Dave Cousins of the National Weather Service’s office in Davenport, Iowa.
At least one person has died in a crash caused by icy roads in eastern Nebraska. A 57-year-old woman was killed when she lost control of her pickup on Highway 30 near Arlington and collided with an oncoming truck, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said. The other driver suffered minor injuries.
trees fall
Elsewhere, storm surge and wind gusts of up to 96 kilometers per hour prompted the first tornado warning in San Francisco, California, and caused some damage. Parts of neighboring San Mateo County were also included in the warning, which was issued at 5:51 a.m. for about 1 million people in the area. It was removed at 6:15 am
The storm downed trees onto cars and roads and damaged some roofs in San Francisco, where tornadoes have not been seen since 2005, according to the weather service. Damage is being assessed to determine if a tornado actually occurred.
Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Monterey, California, said, “This was the first warning for a possible tornado in San Francisco. I think there was no obvious signature on radar for a warning in 2005.” He said that he was not there in 2005.
Residents were warned to take shelter due to the fast-moving storm, but very few people in the area have basements.
“The biggest thing we tell people in the city is to build as many walls as possible between you and the outside,” meteorologist Dalton Behringer said.
Snow falls on ski resorts
People were digging after heavy snowfall in upstate New York. Rainfall of more than 84 centimeters was recorded near Orchard Park, where residents are accustomed to dealing with lake-effect snow at this time of year.
And in Nevada, up to 91 centimeters of snowfall was forecast on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the National Weather Service in Reno, with a winter storm warning in effect until 10 p.m., with up to one-third of a meter at some Lake Tahoe ski resorts. There was more snowfall. Office.
Interstate 80 was closed for about 130 kilometers from Applegate, California to the Nevada state line just west of Reno, where rain was falling and a winter weather advisory remained in effect until the afternoon.
Rain and high winds left thousands without power in Western Washington on Saturday, local news outlets reported.