Snow, ice spawn mishaps on I-70 in Colorado

The Trucker News Services

4/17/2008

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — Snow and icy roads led to several minor accidents on the approach to Interstate 70, forcing the closure of the eastbound lanes of the state's main east-west highway for several hours.

Colorado State Trooper Gilbert Mares said they closed the interstate after as many as 20 vehicles were involved in separate accidents, or simply slid off the road Wednesday.

No major injuries were reported.

The closure at Silverthorne began at 6:30 p.m. Mares did not have an estimate for when the highway would reopen.

As for Thursday’s weather, moderate to heavy rain and some thunderstorms are expected in the Central Plains, and the precipitation was to move into the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi Valley later in the day.

Snow was expected in the Southern Rockies in the morning.

Dry conditions were to prevail on the East Coast from the Southeast through the Northeast. Relatively mild air was expected to stretch from the Southern Plains through the Northeast.

In the West, scattered showers were expected in Washington state.

The Northeast and Southeast were to rise into the 70s, while the Southern Plains expected temperatures in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The Rockies were to rise into the 30s and 40s, while the Northwest was to get temperatures in the 60s and 70s. California temperatures were to be in the 80s.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Wednesday ranged from a low of 2 degrees at Stanley, Idaho, to a high of 100 degrees at Bullhead City, Ariz.