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

2:30 p.m. Update

According to Rocky Mountain Power’s website, there were 24 outages affecting 5,674 customers in Wyoming on Monday. The majority of those customers were in Rawlins, Sinclair, and Wamsutter.

Rocky Mountain Power was not available to provide additional information on the outages as of 2:30 p.m.

Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken said his department was coordinating with Rocky Mountain Power to “clear routes to the affected substation” in the effort to restore power.

Bakken added that fuel for emergency services has been secured, and Carbon County’s EMS and law personnel are still operational.

Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) was open to anyone in need of oxygen or power for a medical device. Carbon County Search and Rescue had been mobilized to provide emergency transport for anyone in need of oxygen services.

As of 2:30 p.m. I-80 westbound and eastbound between Rock Springs and Laramie was completely closed. The section of I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne was open to local traffic only.

2:00 p.m. Update

Jordan Young, deputy public affairs officer for the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), told Cowboy State Daily that they were trying to confirm details on multiple incidents as information kept flooding in. 

“Plowing drifts from stuck and stopped vehicles can delay reopening the highway,” she said.” We have heard anecdotally of stuck vehicles between Laramie and Rock Springs, but don’t have any hard numbers.”

Young also confirmed that a WYDOT snowplow had been struck near the Wagonhound Rest Area on I-80.

“We are still getting specific details on the crash from the Wyoming Highway Patrol,” she said. “We will send a news release once we have more information.”

Meanwhile, Young said the best way for drivers to stay informed on current road conditions was to continue checking the Wyoming 511 website and app. 

“We update that 24/7,” she said “Some sections (of I-80) have different reopening times based on a variety of factors, including wind, drifting, visibility and more. We try to get folks moving whenever we can, especially if we can get them moving away from the worst of the storm.”

Bar Nunn

Bar Nunn resident Jodi Burrer was getting updates from her husband, Benjamin Theurer, an electrician with Casper Electric. He was heading to do some work in the tunnels near Green River when he got stuck on I-80 near Rawlins.

“He said they’ve been in communication with WYDOT,” Burrer said. “They are clearing four-foot drifts and starting to run the plows.”

According to what Theurer told Burrer, the initial deployment of WYDOT’s snowplows was delayed because of the power outage in Rawlins.

The outage prevented WYDOT District 1 personnel from refueling the trucks, and they had to go elsewhere before they were sent out to clear the snow.

“They couldn’t fuel up in Rawlins because the power was out,” Theurer said in a text to Burrer. “(It’s) still out (in Rawlins) but they got down to Sinclair and got the plows filled up.”

Alcova

Meanwhile, in Alcova, Wyoming, things are quiet.

Bryan, who works at Sloane’s General Store and the Inn at Alcova, said there’s about three inches of snow on the ground but the roads are clear.

“Whenever the road is closed between here and Muddy Gap, things get pretty quiet,” he said.

1:30 p.m. Update

Trucker Zade Cyr was heading home to Rawlins when he got stuck “somewhere near the Continental Divide” on Interstate 80.

He offered assistance to anybody who could find him near mile marker 170.

“Generosity is a Wyoming way of life,” he said. “I have some snacks and water with me, and I’m going be here till this wreck gets cleared and a clear lane opens.”

Cyr isn’t sure when that will be, but safely assumed it wouldn’t be until “Tuesday morning.”

Hanna

Meanwhile, Lori Freytag in Hanna, was listening to chatter on her scanner when she heard that a snowplow truck had been struck while responding to the snow-covered highway.

“It was near mile marker 265 by Wagon Hound rest area,” she said. “I heard it on the scanner around noon.”

Centennial

Back over in Centennial, Benjamin Jacobs said he heard a Highway Patrol vehicle was involved in an accident and was put on a “flat bed.”

A bunch of cats and semis are being turned around,” Jacobs said.

“I think WYDOT might have re-closed the pass on 130 going over the mountain again,” he said.

It looks like Benjamin is correct. The WYDOT map shows WY 130 was closed at 11:39 a.m. and the estimated opening time is unknown.

Benjamin offered warm wishes to Cowboy State Daily. We told him that over here in Cheyenne, it was just drizzly. There was a forecast for one to three inches of snow but none has arrived.

Meanwhile, in Cody, where Andrew Rossi is located, it’s cloudy, dry, and in the low 40s.

“It works for me,” Rossi said.

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.