Ice storm hits Iowa, Nebraska, causes interstate closure – DW – 12/15/2024

On By Littum

Winter weather disrupted both the American Midwest and California on its west coast over the weekend.

A major ice storm created treacherous conditions on roads in Iowa and eastern Nebraska, forcing temporary closures of Interstate 80 after numerous cars and trucks slid off the road.

The storm began to set in Friday night, leading to the cancellation of several events and appeals by local officials for people to stay home if possible.

At least one person died in a crash caused by the icy roads. The Washington County Sheriff’s office said a 57-year-old woman was killed when she lost control of her pickup truck on Highway 30 near Arlington and hit an oncoming truck. The other driver sustained minor injuries.

An Omaha police officer parks near a stranded car as freezing weather surfaces are coated in ice in Omaha, Neb. Friday, December 13, 2024.
Roads with gradients became especially treacherous amid the freezing rainImage: Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP/picture alliance

By Saturday at the latest, however, temperatures rose high enough for the ice to begin to thaw.

“Fortunately, some warmer air is moving in behind this to make it temporary,” Dave Cousins, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Davenport, Iowa, told the AP news agency.

Possible, rare tornado in San Francisco

On the West Coast in San Francisco, which is somewhat less used to harsh winters than Iowa and Nebraska, authorities issued the first tornado warning in years on Saturday.

A storm with wind gusts of about 100 kilometers (or 60 miles) per hour triggered the alert.

A large tree branch lies across a street in Seaside, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.
Strong winds and heavy rain are hitting parts of the California coastImage: Nic Coury/AP Photo/Image Alliance

Trees were felled in parts of the city and some coastal areas experienced minor flooding.

The warning went out just before 6 in the morning but was lifted within about 20 minutes.

San Francisco hasn’t seen a tornado since 2005, with the National Weather Service assessing damage and witness reports to see if the storm qualifies as such.

This photo, provided by the Livermore Police Dept. shows flooding near the intersection of Murrieta Blvd. and Stanley Blvd. during a storm on Saturday, December 14, 2024, in Livermore, California.
In Livermore, just east of San Francisco, heavy downpours led to local floodingImage: Livermore Police Department via AP/image alliance

The National Weather Service said it recorded a tornado not too far south of San Francisco, in Scotts Valley, later Saturday.

“The tornado has caused extensive damage in several areas, including overturning several vehicles in and around the shopping district on Mt. Hermon Drive,” the Scotts Valley Police Department said in a statement asking people to avoid the area.

msh/sri (AP, open sources)