Spring started three days ago, but Mother Nature doesn’t always pay attention to the calendar.
Periods of moderate to heavy snowfall will keep truckers on their toes much of this week in high elevations of the Northwest and the Rockies.
A series of storm systems will track across these regions, as well as southwestern Canada, during the next five to six days. When all is said and done with this extended event, snowfall totals will range from 6 to 24 inches, with isolated higher totals of 36 inches or more. Snow will be wet in some areas, making roads slushy. The storms will hit the Washington and Oregon Cascades, as well as most of the Rockies. Look for minor to moderate disruptions to surface and air transportation, in addition to business operations at the local and regional levels.
Main interstates within the impact zone include I-5, I-25, I-70, I-80, I-84 and I-90. Truckers will probably run into issues in many of the usual trouble spots. These include, but are not limited to, Snoqualmie, Lookout and Stevens passes, as well as the Eisenhower Tunnel west of Denver and the Palmer Divide south of Denver.
Additionally, areas along the Washington and Oregon coasts will continue to receive heavy rainfall, which may lead to localized flooding and mudslides.
Other notable weather this week
Drivers will hit strong crosswinds on sections of I-8, I-10, I-15 and I-40 across the Desert Southwest. Gusts will reach 45 to 55 mph Monday night and Tuesday in places like Las Vegas, as well as Bastow, Palm Springs, Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita, California.
Periods of heavy rainfall could cause flooding in places across the eastern half of the country. Some of the worst may be along the I-10 corridor later in the week, from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. In some parts of the South, thunderstorms may produce severe crosswinds, large hail and tornadoes.
Look for weather updates throughout the week on the FreightWaves website and social media accounts.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
