Deadly Storm Slams Five States
A deadly storm is slamming five states along the southwestern frontier of the United States, causing massive delays in holiday travel and several deaths across the Great Plains.
The storm has pummeled states with heavy winds and layers of snow, turning roads to ice and making driving virtually impossible for motorists.
Several accidents have occurred as a result of the storm.
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In eastern Colorado, a fatal accident claimed the lives of a prison guard and an inmate as a prison van lost control on the slippery ice. Eight other inmates were injured as a result of the storm-induced accident.
In Texas, investigators believe that the severe storm may have caused a single-engine plane to crash. The plane was headed to Waco, Texas, from Atlanta, and everyone aboard the plane died in the fatal accident, including one teenager and a two-year-old child.
In New Mexico, where blizzards are a rarity, four people were killed on Monday as two vehicles collided along the slippery ice.
Winter storm and blizzard warnings have been in effect since Monday for Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas. Many highways across the five states have been closed due to the weather conditions.
The blizzard warning will remain in effect until 4 p.m. and it is expected that anywhere from three to eight inches of snow will continue to fall across the region. In parts of Kansas, 10 inches of snow has already fallen.
The National Weather Service warns that the worst of the blizzard conditions will be prevalent throughout the morning hours on Tuesday but warns that snow is expected to continue into and through the evening.
“Travel through this region will be dangerous…if not impossible on Tuesday,” said a storm summary statement by the National Weather Service.
The service discourages all travel and outdoor activity for residents of the five states due to the dangers the late autumn storm represents.
To watch a video of the storm please view below.
