Winter Storm Shuts Down 14A
Written by Andrew-Rossi on April 3, 2018
What was predicted to be a minor spring snowfall turned into a dangerous winter storm yesterday, closing down a major highway and contributing to a multiple vehicle accident between Cody and Powell.
According to the Park County Sheriff’s Office, the Powell Highway closed between Beacon Hill Road and Ralston just after 4 p.m. due to a multi-vehicle accident near Lane 19 and whiteout conditions. Six vehicles were involved in the crash at mile post 13 on the south side of the Powell Highway near Ralston.
Cody Beers with the Wyoming Department of Transportation says this is the first time since the road was widened to five lanes that the road has been closed for weather. At the time of the road closure, Beers said that conditions were so dangerous that people were advised to stay in their vehicles if they got stuck and not attempt to walk to safety. He added that all available tow trucks in the area had already been called out at the time, so urged people to stay off the highway if possible, because help would be a long time coming if they were involved in an accident.
The road re-opened a little after 6 p.m., but conditions remained icy and dangerous for several hours. At this time, WYDOT reports that the road is slick, but no other warnings are in place for highways surrounding Cody.
Beers said that the storm appeared to be localized to the Northwest Wyoming area. Between five inches and two feet of snow were reported in various areas throughout the Cody region by yesterday afternoon.
