Factory-induced snow crashes surprise tow company
An Eau Claire-based tow company was caught off guard when it had to respond to multiple crashes on Thanksgiving after factory-induced snowfall covered part of I-94. FOX 9’s Leon Purvis has the full story.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (FOX 9) – Some unexpected snow in western Wisconsin led to multiple crashes on Interstate 94.
What we know
The National Weather Service says the snow formed from steam coming from a factory in Menomonie.
READ MORE: Wisconsin crashes reported in area hit by factory-induced snowWI
The Wisconsin Highway Patrol tells FOX 9 that the snow on I-94 only stretched for 10 miles. It caught one tow truck driver near Eau Claire by surprise when he got a tow call.
“We got our first call, and they said it was white-out conditions and to take your time, to be careful, I looked out the window and the sun was shining,” said Eric Rehberg Manager of Chad’s Towing and Recovery.
Police say there were a total of 16 crashes, one of them with serious injuries. Phones at Chad’s Towing and Recovery were ringing off the hook.
“We probably were in the 20 to 25 calls,” said Rehberg.
Wisconsin State Troopers closed off the highway for three hours, from 11 a.m. till about 2 p.m. The snow on Highway 94 only spanned for 10 miles.
“One side of town didn’t have any snow, and the roads were dry, and the middle part of town had four inches of snow and cars in the ditch and into each other all over the place,” said Rehberg.
How did this happen?
The National Weather Service reports that snow formed from steam coming from a factory in Menomonie, adding that conditions were in a “sweet spot” for snow formation to come from supercooled water droplets.
The result was a narrow 100-mile plume of snow.
“I read that this morning, and I wasn’t sure what to think about that. I guess it’s possible,” said Rehberg.
FOX 9 reached out to one factory in the area to see if they knew what the source of the steam was, but no administrative staff were available.
