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All Right All You Panhandle Folks: Driving Tomorrow

20,476 Views | 155 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by techno-ag
Stive
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AG
We're leaving Fort Worth early tomorrow morning for Colorado. How stupid are the highways going to be late tomorrow morning-early tomorrow afternoon? Just snowy? Icy? Decent?
Doctor51
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AG
Blizzard warning here has now been extended into tomorrow.
EMY92
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They'll have plows working the major roads.

I know I followed a TxDOT plow out of Amarillo one day when heading to Dallas from there.

However, I'd check the conditions before leaving.
BCO07
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AG
Wave 2 coming through now and it's looking to be worse than the first one. They are saying on the news that if you get stuck in the 5+ foot drifts on the highway they will come rescue you, but are leaving your vehicle until it clears. I've stayed off the roads, but it sure sounds crappy. Gonna be awfully slow if you decide to make that drive
Stive
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AG
How far to the east and south is it beginning? Any advantage to going 20 west to Midland then turning north?
Stive
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AG
The people in the drifts.....icy roads? Or driving stupid on the snow? I don't mind driving snow, but ice is ice and too much is out of my control.
BCO07
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I'm north of Lubbock, but per the news midland got hit pretty hard. No clue what the roads look like. I'd assume they'll plow the interstates starting soon and I know backup plows came in from dfw
BCO07
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Some of both

They are closing miles of roads, sounds like anyone on the road that doesn't have to be is not a great decision maker. Hopefully they start to get things cleared soon
CanyonAg77
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AG
There is really no way to tell. It's a horrific north wind, and the wind and snow is currently predicted to continue until 4am Monday. So the east-west highways are going to be a mess.

At about noon today (Sunday 27th) highway 87 from Dalhart to New Mexico was closed. I-40 westbound from Amarillo to Santa Rosa NM was closed. Many highways in eastern NM closed.

IN my neighborhood, we have a large vacant lot to the north, and we're about the 4th house from the corner on a N-S street that buts up against the lot. The pavement in front of my pickup is clear. But there's a 2 foot drift behind it, and a drift about 50 feet north of it where three pickups have gotted stuck just this morning.

Beyond that, I can't give you any info, because I'm not getting out in this crap.

All I can offer is to listen to KGNC-AM 710 on the way, they are the only news radio. The TV stations are KAMR, KVII, and KFDA, try their web sites.

http://www.myhighplains.com/

http://abc7amarillo.com/

http://www.newschannel10.com/

And for the latest road closures:

http://drivetexas.org

http://nmroads.com/

And according to those, lots of roads are closed in Eastern NM and you start hitting snow by just past Wichita Falls.
CanyonAg77
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AG
quote:
How far to the east and south is it beginning? Any advantage to going 20 west to Midland then turning north?
I think the Midland/Odessa area may be in worse shape right now than Amarillo. The Drive Texas weather map shows the entire Panhandle, South Plains, and Permian Basin as snow/ice right now. Snow lingering through tomorrow morning, temps (in Amarillo) below freezing for several days.
CanyonAg77
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The people in the drifts.....icy roads? Or driving stupid on the snow? I don't mind driving snow, but ice is ice and too much is out of my control.
I think the key is drifts. Wind has been above 30mph the last 36 hours. Can't see the drifts, and it can be bare pavement in one spot, three foot drifts the next.
Stive
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AG
quote:
quote:
The people in the drifts.....icy roads? Or driving stupid on the snow? I don't mind driving snow, but ice is ice and too much is out of my control.
I think the key is drifts. Wind has been above 30mph the last 36 hours. Can't see the drifts, and it can be bare pavement in one spot, three foot drifts the next.

On the highway???
CanyonAg77
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AG
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On the highway???
Hopefully the big ones are plowed out now. But the wind is still howling, and the snow is very dry and constantly blowing/moving. So a plow goes by, and in minutes a small drift redevelops and grows.....
Stive
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AG
quote:
quote:
The people in the drifts.....icy roads? Or driving stupid on the snow? I don't mind driving snow, but ice is ice and too much is out of my control.
I think the key is drifts. Wind has been above 30mph the last 36 hours. Can't see the drifts, and it can be bare pavement in one spot, three foot drifts the next.

If the wind keeps up, would that help the roads by helping clear the snow? Or would it hurt by drifting it up near/on the roads?
CanyonAg77
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quote:
On the highway???
From KAMR at 2:25pm Sunday 27 Dec:
quote:
Stay off the roads -- that's the suggestion from the Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Transportation, New Mexico Department of Transporation, and others.
A DPS spokeswoman says several drivers are stranded around the Texas Panhandle. She says more than 20 drivers were stranded on US 60 and US 70 in Parmer County at one point because of eight-to ten-foot tall drifts in the road.
TXDoT and NMDoT are working on the roads, but blowing snow makes it difficult to keep the roads clear.
Here are closures in the area:
NEW MEXICO:
I-40 from the Texas state line at mile marker 373 to mile marker 272
US 64 from mile marker 334 to mile marker 413
New Mexico 30 from mile marker 0 to mile marker 47
New Mexico 406 from mile marker 0 to mile marker 35
New Mexico 402 from mile marker 31 to mile marker 62
New Mexico 209 from mile marker 36 to mile marker 82
New Mexico 268 from mile marker 19 to mile marker 27
New Mexico 252 to mile marker 13 to mile marker 43
New Mexico 469 from mile marker 0 to mile marker 23
New Mexico 209 from mile marker 3 to mile marker 35
New Mexico 267 from mile marker 0 to mile marker 32
US 70 from mile marker 230 to mile marker 422
New Mexico 206 from mile marker 46 to mile marker 83
US 380 from mile marker 155 to mile marker 241
US 60 from mile marker 272 to mile marker 381
All driving on Cannon Air Force Base, except for mission essential personnel, has been suspended until further notice.
For more information call 511 in New Mexico and 1-800-452-9292. You also can go to nmroads.com.
TEXAS:
I-40 at Soncy in Amarillo to New Mexico is closed in both direction

Stive
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AG
quote:
quote:
On the highway???
Hopefully the big ones are plowed out now. But the wind is still howling, and the snow is very dry and constantly blowing/moving. So a plow goes by, and in minutes a small drift redevelops and grows.....

Well that's depressing.

If the snow let's up by the middle of the night, any guesses on how it will be by mid day tomorrow?
CanyonAg77
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If the wind keeps up, would that help the roads by helping clear the snow? Or would it hurt by drifting it up near/on the roads?
Wind makes everything exponentially worse. Your hope is the wind lays and the plows make some headway.
BCO07
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AG
quote:
quote:
quote:
The people in the drifts.....icy roads? Or driving stupid on the snow? I don't mind driving snow, but ice is ice and too much is out of my control.
I think the key is drifts. Wind has been above 30mph the last 36 hours. Can't see the drifts, and it can be bare pavement in one spot, three foot drifts the next.

If the wind keeps up, would that help the roads by helping clear the snow? Or would it hurt by drifting it up near/on the roads?


It's the wind causing the crazy drifts. Parts of my yard are clear and others are waist deep.
Stive
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AG
quote:
quote:
If the wind keeps up, would that help the roads by helping clear the snow? Or would it hurt by drifting it up near/on the roads?
Wind makes everything exponentially worse. Your hope is the wind lays and the plows make some headway.

Gotcha.
CanyonAg77
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If the snow let's up by the middle of the night, any guesses on how it will be by mid day tomorrow?
Really no way to know. Yesterday, the snow was supposed to end by 10pm tonight. Today, they moved that back to 4am tomorrow.

I know you really want to get to your destination, but I'd think long and hard about it. My guess is that traffic will be moving slowly by noon tomorrow. But there will be a huge backlog of stranded travelers getting back on the road, and I think things will be pretty darn clogged. Just me, lots of sleeping bags and emergency gear, a good 4WD or AWD, I might give it a shot. With small kids or other less hardy souls, and without a good reason to travel, I'm not so sure. Your mileage may vary.

Have you looked at Colorado, too? I have no idea how far that way the storm screwed things up.
techno-ag
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If it were me, I'd delay the trip.
ursusguy
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I'd be dang careful with deciding to make that drive.
Stive
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quote:
If it were me, I'd delay the trip.

Nah, can't do that. Ski trip squeezed into the last week before school starts.

Stive
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From everything I've seen, the nasty stuff stopped just north of Raton. I'm not sure how the pass is, but past that, it looked like it slacked off considerably.
Troy91
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The trip is going to be delayed in any case. It can be delayed at your choice in your house or it can be delayed by nature in a vehicle on the side of the highway.

Without more info, planning to leave before late tomorrow is asking for longer delays.
BCO07
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Sounds like a pretty bad idea to be on the road willingly, but if you're bent on going just make sure you're prepared for it to turn into a camping trip
Stive
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I'd be dang careful with deciding to make that drive.

That's why I'm here. I'm considering waiting until midday tomorrow before leaving, but I'm trying to perfectly calculate when they open the roads in the panhandle.
CanyonAg77
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Just now looked at the drive Texas site. I-40 from Amarillo west is not expected to be open until noon Monday.
techno-ag
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I've always heard to throw a metal coffee can and some candles in your trunk when driving through a blizzard. Then you won't freeze to death if you get stranded.
powerbelly
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Ive always heard just dont drive through a blizzard
CanyonAg77
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quote:
From everything I've seen, the nasty stuff stopped just north of Raton. I'm not sure how the pass is, but past that, it looked like it slacked off considerably.
quote:
I-25 Difficult driving conditions from Mile Marker 455-460 Roads are snow packed and icy. Blowing snow( snowing lightly) is causing limited visibility.Raton pass is accumlating snow. Please reduce your speed and obey all traffic signs. Crews are out plowing and salting.

Stive
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AG
quote:
quote:
From everything I've seen, the nasty stuff stopped just north of Raton. I'm not sure how the pass is, but past that, it looked like it slacked off considerably.
quote:
I-25 Difficult driving conditions from Mile Marker 455-460 Roads are snow packed and icy. Blowing snow( snowing lightly) is causing limited visibility.Raton pass is accumlating snow. Please reduce your speed and obey all traffic signs. Crews are out plowing and salting.


BCO07
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quote:
I've always heard to throw a metal coffee can and some candles in your trunk when driving through a blizzard. Then you won't freeze to death if you get stranded.


Don't forget the small dog...
Stive
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AG
quote:
quote:
I've always heard to throw a metal coffee can and some candles in your trunk when driving through a blizzard. Then you won't freeze to death if you get stranded.


Don't forget the small dog...
AgLA06
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We're stuck in Carlsbad NM trying to get to Santa Fe. 12"-18"+ so far with a couple more hours to go. Snow drifts are 10'+ on the highways per the county. They gave up on trying to clear the roads.

nmroads.com is the New Mexico highway department with road closures and highway cameras.
 
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