Terrifying video shows near zero visibility in Wyoming as deadly blizzard intensifes into bomb cyclone
CHEYENNE, WYOMING: The Midwest and Great Lakes are being pummeled by a severe snowstorm that is starting to intensify into a bomb cyclone. Damaging winds are also threatening the East Coast, making travel for millions of people during the Christmas holiday weekend a terrifying experience.
According to the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, the temperature dropped 51 degrees in just one hour on Wednesday, setting a record. In just two hours, the temperature dropped from 42 degrees to - 9 degrees. In Cheyenne, the wind chill dropped to 40 below zero, New York Post reported. Footage taken by Wyoming Highway Patrol shows snow blowing over a vehicle’s dashboard, reducing visibility dramatically.
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According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, troopers responded to more than 787 calls for service, 196 motorist assistances, and 104 wrecks in only 12 hours as visibility was reduced to almost nothing. The patrola made video of the dangerous conditions as the storm moved across the southeast of the state and into the Nebraska Panhandle.
Even worse, Interstate 80 and US Highway 30 in Sidney, Nebraska, were under a Snow Squall Warning from the NWS. Due to safety concerns, officials in charge of transportation also stopped stretches of Interstate 25, US Highway 85, and US Highway 287 from the Wyoming-Colorado state line. “Full tank of gas, supplies, blankets, food and a car kit all make the difference in situations like these,” the NWS in Cheyenne stated, as cited by New York Post. The NWS reported that the temperature at Denver International Airport briefly fell to minus 24 degrees on Thursday morning, falling just short of the monthly record low of minus 25 established in 1990.
People have to endure two more days of chilly weather to know if Wyoming and Colorado's persistent freezing temperatures have any end in sight. "Luckily, by the weekend, and just in time for Christmas, temperatures will be back into the upper 30s and 40s," the NWS stated. On December 22, Thursday, Wyoming Highway Patrol posted an update video of the current weather condition and wrote, "Current view from a Troopers car in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Current conditions outside of Cheyenne are -18 with zero visibility." They also urged to stay home if they don't need to travel.
Meanwhile, people on social media are sending prayers for the troopers and urging others to stay home. One user wrote, "Thank you to all Troopers, First Responders, Law Enforcement Officers and Highway Maintenance workers who literally put their lives on the line in the worst possible conditions. May God bless you and keep you safe." Another user wrote, "Why can’t people just stay off the roads in this. Prayers for your safety." "Stay safe Troopers. People use some common sense and stay somewhere.safe," wrote another.