Hundreds of drivers stranded in their cars for 14 HOURS in -5F chill in Texas after 18-wheeler jack-knifed as Storm Landon wreaks havoc: 95million under weather warning, 3,000 flights canceled as blizzard moves to the Northeast
- Icy road conditions had left a Texas highway backed up on Thursday night, but two crashed on Friday morning have grinded traffic to a halt as emergency vehicles make their way through traffic to alleviate the situation
- Some drivers have been stuck on I-10 for 14 hours in freezing temperatures due to the passing snow storm
- The storm, which has made its way through the south heading northeast, has left 300,000 without power
- Officials are issuing winter advisories for the weekend and urging residents to stay off the roads
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Icy conditions and two major truck wrecks on a Texas interstate left hundreds of drivers trapped in their cars for more than 14 hours in below-freezing weather – part of a winter storm that will affect millions nationwide.
Officials said the accidents happened early Friday morning on Interstate 10 as an 18-wheeler traveling westbound jackknifed across the interstate near Kerrville, blocking the highway on both sides and backing up the road for miles. A second truck also swerved and lost control on the icy road, blocking the road on the westbound side.
The highway already was congested and moving at a snails pace on Thursday night due to icy conditions as temperatures dropped to -5F, but traffic stopped to a complete halt after the truck crash.
The weather continues to be below freezing at the area as a winter storm spanning 2,000 miles from the Rockies to New England sweeps through the nation, putting 95 million Americans under winter weather advisories.
Kerrville County Sheriff’s deputies said there were no injuries reported following the accident and Texas Department of Transportation officials expect the I-10 to be backed up for at least a few more hours. Kerrville is about an hour northwest of San Antonio.
Officials added that because of the road congestion, it would take them some time to reach the problem areas and de-ice the roads to keep traffic moving.
Traffic has halted on the busy I-10 in Kerrville, Texas due to icy road conditions on Thursday night and two trucks crashes
Officials said the traffic is backed up for miles and won’t move for at least a few more hours
The halt begins at around the 503 mile marker as trucker wait in below freezing weather to try and get through
The traffic jam began last night due to the icy roads but grinded to a halt on Friday morning because of the crashes
On Thursday night, drivers had to contend with -5F weather. Temperatures were still below freezing on Friday morning
Officials said it would take hours to clear the highway as DOT and police vehicles need to make their way through
Drivers have been stuck on the road, some for more than 12 hours, in freezing weather
There are winter advisories throughout west Texas as officials urge truckers and drivers to avoid the roads on Friday through the weekend.
Another truck crash on I-35 left the roads closed for hours on the highway before clearing out earlier in the morning. Poor whether conditions in the Lone Star state began on Wednesday night as freezing rain caused several crashes, including two trucks that blocked the highway leading to Dallas.
Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell told Fox 7 that Texas DOT and law enforcement are working to clear up icy roads throughout Texas, which he said were not built for this kind of weather.
‘Listen, I love my fellow Texans and will take a Texan to battle with me but there’s nothing more frightful to me than a Texan driving on ice so we’re just not made to do that,’ he said.
The storm has left about 300,000 homes and businesses across Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Pennsylvania without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
Texas itself accounted for 15,000 of the properties without power on Friday morning as the state’s power grid continues to be under scrutiny following the ice and snow storms last year that left thousands freezing.
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott said there were 10,000 linemen working on restoring power in Texas and about 2,000 more coming from out of state to assist.
Texas officials are urging residents to avoid driving due to the poor weather as a snow storm continues to travel from the south to the northeast, leaving 300,000 Americans without power
Poor road conditions began in Texas on Wednesday night, when freezing rain caused trucks to crash near Dallas