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Widespread U.S. Storm Brings Blizzard Conditions, Tornado Warnings

A massive storm is moving over the US bringing some intense weather events. Areas all across the country are experiencing weather-related emergencies from tornados to blizzards to freezing rains. So far, this front has spawned tornadoes in parts of Texas, including the Dallas-Fortworth areas as well as Oklahoma. Areas across the central portions of the country including the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Plains areas in South Dakota are facing blizzard conditions.

Blizzard Warnings Remain Across The Midwest As The Major Storm Hits The US

From areas in Colorado to Montana and Nebraska, including the Dakotas, residents are seeing blizzard conditions as warnings continue. According to reports, the National Weather Service is noting that areas of Western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska are experiencing snowfalls as high as 2 feet. Ice and sleet are predicted across the Great Plains area.

Elsewhere, tornadoes are sweeping through leaving devastating damage in their wake. Areas of Oklahoma experienced confirmed tornados in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 13. Thankfully, however, there are no deaths or major injuries tied to this tornado. However, the damage the area sustained is still being assessed.

“We’ve got multiple family structures with significant damage,” notes one Oklahoma official of the damage the tornado left in its wake. “Barns, power lines down.”

At least two tornados have been spotted along the storm’s edge. This comes as the storm travels toward the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area Tuesday morning. Iowa, on the other hand, is facing major ice issues. Forecasters are predicting that at least a 1/2 inch of ice could form as heavy rains hit the state. Iowans are also told to prepare for massive winds of up to 45 miles per hour. These winds, forecasters note, will bring damage and hazardous conditions through the state of Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

Major Roadways And Highways Are Closed As Conditions Continue To Deteriorate

Western Nebraska remains under a blizzard warning from Tuesday all the way through Thursday. The system is expected to dump as much as 20 inches on the area. According to the Nebraska Department of Transportation, travel is not recommended and could be very dangerous.

“There’s essentially no one traveling right now,” says Justin McCallum, a manager at the Flying J truck stop at Ogallala, Nebraska. McCallum says he got to work before the storm caused the road closures.

“This is a ‘we are not kidding’ kind of storm,” the South Dakota Public Safety officials note of the major front. Parts of Interstate 90 and Interstate 29 will be closed throughout the state due to “freezing rain, substantial snow totals, low visibility, drifting snow, and high winds,” the state’s Department of Transportation explains.