After bringing one foot of snow on the Rockies, the storm system headed east on Wednesday, Nov. 11, threatening several states in the Midwest with hail, strong winds and thunderstorms.
According to the National Weather Service, it brought thunderstorms to certain parts of northern Missouri and Iowa. The government organization also sent out tornado watches to parts of Nebraska and Kansas as well as the two aforementioned states.
It is estimated that the fast-moving storm system will affect over 36.5 million people between Colorado and Ohio as well as northern Texas and Michigan.
The Colorado highway patrol troopers reported several crashes north of Denver on Interstate 25 by the Wyoming border when the storm covered the city in 5 inches of snow on Wednesday. The authorities of Wyoming also shut down large sections of roadways.
"The snow fell at a heavy rate overnight, which coated roads quickly. The combination of snow-covered roads and gusty winds caused very poor travel conditions this morning in the metro area," Becky Elliot, meteorologist of AccuWeather, says.
The Nebraska State Patrol also reported minor accidents, where vehicles slid off icy roadways. There were no reported injuries.
In anticipation of the stormy weather, Denver International Airport spokesperson Heath Montgomery said that 50 out of 1,500 of its daily flights were cancelled. There were no major delays.
Plow trucks were said to have been working all morning, according to Alan Salyards. He said that the truckers who came through his Flying J Travel Plaza near Big Springs weren't exactly troubled by the conditions.
A forecaster with the Storm Prediction Center of NWS Jared Guyer said that the back side of the system will drop 8 inches of snow in certain areas in its wake.
Residents in parts of Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas experienced winter storm conditions. Sustained winds between 30 and 40 mph with gust from 55 to 60 mph were expected.
The NWS advised people to stay at home due to the possibility of white-out conditions.
Photo: Jake Stimpson | Flickr
