Roads across Iowa have improved quite a bit from this morning, but motorists should still be prepared for some dangerous conditions. Iowa Department of Transportation spokesperson Dena Gray-Fisher says drivers need to be alert for high winds with speeds of up to 25 miles an hour.
“Especially if you’re a semi truck driver pulling an unloaded trailer,” Gray-Fisher said. “Maybe you need to just pull off (the road) for a while and wait for the winds to subside. We had several semi tractor trailers jackknifing this morning and one actually flipped from the high winds.”
Most of the semi crashes happened on Interstate 80 between Des Moines and Iowa City. Snow totals across the state are being reported in the 1 to 3 inch range. “There hasn’t been a lot of snow, but the wind does present some problems. People are getting blown over outside of their traffic lane,” Gray-Fisher said.
In addition, some roads are slick from “wheel track glazing” as the wind blows snow across the road and it becomes icy from heavy traffic.
Motorists can check Iowa road conditions online at www.511ia.org or by calling 5-1-1. Clear, but blustery and cold conditions are expected overnight with lows near zero in the northeast to lower teens in southern Iowa. It should be sunny, but continued windy Wednesday with highs in the mid 20s and 30s.
