Snowstorm Shuts Down Southern Wyoming, Motorists Stranded On I-80 For Hours

1:00 p.m. Update:

Donna Depew, at the Friendly Store in Centennial, is thrilled.

She reports the community has received more than two feet of snow and it’s not stopping any time soon.

“This is the snow and the weather we’ve been praying for all winter,” she said. “It’s good wet, spring weather snow. Just what we’ve needed.”

She said the power was out in Centennial for only about 20 minutes but has been on for the rest of the day.

Bonus: roads are open in Centennial, despite the snow. Depew said the snowplow has been through but cautioned those who might venture out to utilize “smart winter driving skills.”

“I heard there were people who went off the roads,” she said.

Medicine Bow

The power turned back on in Medicine Bow at about 12:40 p.m.

Gloria, who works at JB’s Stop-N-Shop, said she was relieved to report that after hours without any power, lights have returned.

"At least for now," she said.

Not many customers today, she said, as the roads are closed.

She says it continues to snow in Medicine Bow and “it’s very slushy.”

But traveling around the small community isn’t bad because “they do a very good job with roads out here,” she said.

Between Rawlins And Wamsutter

Long-haul trucker Terry Wrzesinski spent much of Monday "dead stopped somewhere between Rawlins and Wamsutter" along Interstate 80 by an intense blizzard that shut down southern Wyoming that also took out power grids and stranded drivers on highways.

"Bloody apocalyptic," is how Wrzesinski, who's from Illinois, described the situation.

Wrzesinski said there was a crash about a mile ahead of him. He couldn't see the scene, but said it involved at least two semitrailers.

"There are two trucks tangled and the tow truck driver can’t reach them," he said. "This is getting to the point of ridiculous."

His is one of many stories of being stranded in the storm that had already closed nearly 260 miles of I-80 both east and westbound from Cheyenne to Rock Springs by 12:15 p.m. because of winter conditions that include slick pavement, blowing snow, and gusting winds.

The estimated reopening time of I-80 ranged from 11 to 21 hours, depending on the location along the interstate.

Several other highways, like U.S. Highways 191 and 287, Wyoming Highway 789 from Baggs to Wamsutter, and Wyoming Highway 28 through South Pass, were closed to all traffic with an estimated reopening time of “unknown.”

Many other roads and highways in southern Wyoming were similarly impacted.

Rawlins resident Marianne Nelson usually has a 10-minute commute to her job at the Wyoming State Penitentiary and hopped onto I-80 at 5:15 a.m.

She had been stuck on the closed interstate for about six hours when Cowboy State Daily talked to her late Monday morning.

“I’ve got three semitrucks parked in front of me,” she said. “I guess there's a tow truck somewhere, but he's stuck, too. I can’t see anything.”

Nelson’s Jeep was high-centered on the thick layer of heavy snow that was still falling. By 11 a.m., the snow was “up to her doors,” she said.

After six hours stuck on I-80, Nelson also began watching her fuel levels. Running out of gas in freezing temperatures stuck on the highway could be dangerous.

“I have less than a quarter of a tank of gas,” she said. “I'm trying to get permission from the Wyoming Highway Patrol for my son to come up on his snowmobile.”

Power’s Out

Meanwhile, Carbon County is experiencing prolonged power outages and limited transport capability because of the intensity of the winter storm.

Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken has set up an incident command post to coordinate responses to residents and drivers impacted by the outages.

“Please note that the hospital is open and available for anyone who needs oxygen or power for a medical device,” he said in a statement. “Please know we are here to support your medical needs and provide assistance during this time.”

Cowboy State Daily reached out to Bakken, who was not available to provide additional information at the time.

Watch Out

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Winter Storm Warning for central Carbon County until 6 p.m. Monday. As much as 10 inches of snow is expected during that time, with wind gusts up to 45 mph.

Visibility was expected to “drop below a quarter of a mile” due to falling, blowing snow, the agency reports. 

That tracks with Nelson’s experience being stuck on I-80.

“I’m only 1.5 miles from exit 215, and I can’t even see Rawlins,” she said. “I used to be able to see the State Department, but now I can’t even see that, and the snow’s still falling.”

Meanwhile, the NWS also issued a Freeze Watch for south-central Wyoming between 9 p.m. Monday  and Tuesday morning. Overnight temperatures across the region could drop to 16 degrees.

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com and Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.