Dangerous ice storm causes multiple wrecks along highways across Plains, Midwest

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A large area of ​​freezing rain created hazardous travel conditions in the Midwest and Plains during the first half of the weekend, with dozens of crashes reported and hours-long closures of major interstates.

Several accidents were reported in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri as roadways became slick with ice.

The Omaha metro area appeared to be one of the hardest hit areas Friday night with crashes that forced Interstate 80 to close across a 13-mile stretch of eastern Nebraska.

Dozens of collisions were also reported in western Iowa as the freezing rain led to refreezing.

“Overnight we had 34 to 40 crashes,” Iowa State Patrol Trooper Bob Conrad told FOX Weather. “We’ve had more than 100 calls for service like people in the ditch.”

Ice storm warnings covered more than 1.5 million people in eastern Iowa and northeastern Missouri and northwestern Illinois on Saturday with 0.25-0.40 inches of additional ice, which included areas around Waterloo and Cedar Rapids.

The largest amounts were reported around Cedar Rapids, where totals approached nearly half an inch of ice, causing scattered power outages in the southeastern part of the state.

PowerOutage.us reported nearly 15,000 outages Saturday, centered southwest of the Quad Cities.

Those not under ice warnings were under Winter Weather Advisories, which covered much of Iowa and spread into Wisconsin, Minnesota, northern Missouri and eastern Nebraska and South Dakota.

“Dress appropriately. We get so many people leaving their house because they’re hot, jumping in the car, going to the store, exercising or going to the office, and they’re not wearing the right attire,” said Trooper Conrad. “If you go into the ditch, it can be fatal.”

HOW MUCH ICE DO YOU HAVE TO KNOCK OUT POWER, DAMAGE TREES?

Forecasters said there is potential for 0.1-0.2 inches of icing north of Interstate 80 in Iowa outside the Ice Storm Warning areas. According to the FOX Forecast Center, additional icing is possible across areas including Madison, Wisconsin, Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota, and northwestern Illinois.

WINTER WEATHER DRIVING TIPS

Iowa’s Department of Transportation reports that nearly all highways are covered by wintry precipitation across the southeastern part of the state.

“Just from standing outside for maybe the last 30, 45 minutes, my coat is starting to freeze,” said FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Saturday morning. “(The ice) is starting to build up…the sidewalk is the same situation — I can cut chunks of this ice off.”

Interstate 80 shut down outside of Omaha for over 8 hours

Freezing rain turned Interstate 80 west of Omaha, Nebraska into a slush of ice Friday night, leading to several accidents and poor driving conditions.

WHAT IS AN ICE STORM?

Traffic cameras showed vehicles backed up for miles as drivers waited for first responders to attend to accidents. The Nebraska State Patrol closed a 13-mile stretch of I-80 west of Omaha overnight, reopening the highway just after 1 p.m. 5 CT.

Scenes were similar further east in Iowa, where first responders were busy responding to crashes.

“First responders, including Trooper Hutson near Mondamin, are assisting with multiple crashes in our state,” the Iowa State Patrol posted on social media. “With rapidly changing weather conditions, we strongly recommend avoiding travel if possible.”

Portions of Interstate 880 in western Iowa were shut down from Friday night into Saturday after a semi-truck appeared to have jackknifed on the icy roadway.

Transportation officials in Iowa told FOX Weather they were pre-treating some roads ahead of the wintry weather, but reminded drivers to use extra caution during the storm.

Much of the frozen precipitation is expected to melt by the end of the weekend as significant warming moves into the region.