Wild Winter Weather

A storm combining snow, ice, and rain is causing chaos throughout the midwest and is expected to continue through New Year's Day. In particular, it has recently caused a 100-car pileup in Fargo, ND on Interstate 94. As a result of the pileup and worsening weather conditions of snow and wind, the interstate closed. The pileup originally started when two semi-trucks jackknifed on Thursday night. Highway Patrol were even having to rescue drivers by snowmobile and foot because the visibility and road conditions were so terrible. Three people were taken to the hospital. Out towards Denver they received the heaviest snow of the season on Friday morning and even parts of Wyomig and New Mexico are preparing for freezing temperatures and stormy weather. Phoenix, AZ also woke up to temperatures below freezing Friday morning because the storm had left a snowy mix of precepitation on the edges of the city the day before. People were shocked upon seeing snow because it is so rare there. Strong winds have also creates snow dunes on rooftops, streets, and yards across mountanious areas of Arizona. Because of this, two major thoroughfares in northern Arizona were closed, which stranded people just south of the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. New Mexico, Colorado, Wyomig, Montana, and Nevada also all have major roadways shut down due to the storm. Up to a foot of snow is predicted to fall in the Denver and Colorado Springs area while the eastern plains are expected to get about 7 inches. Ski resorts are happy for the snow, but it has trapped some skiers on the mountain and prevented others from coming. This is because roads have been closed to those resorts because of dangerous conditions and the threat of avalanches. United Airlines has had to cancel 32 flights from Denver on Thursday alone. This storm has had a significant portion of the country in its clutches and is causing trouble for many.

This story first caught my attention because of its headline, "100-Car Pileup in Fargo, ND." I travel that area of Interstate 94 quite often because I take saxophone lessons from a college professor that lives up there. In fact I was there only two days ago, and it's amazing to me how drastically things can change in such a short amount of time! When something like this huge pileup occurs, I wonder if there was any way in could have been prevented. The only thing I can think of is if they could've closed Interstate 94 before conditions become so bad that the pileup occured. Today with our technology we have gotten pretty precise and accurate in predicing weather, so maybe it should become policy to shut down major highways and interstates before conditions become terrible. Of course, I also understand people have places to go and that would cause people to get upset, especially if conditions aren't bad yet, but at least it would ensure people's safety. I also found it shocking how places as far south as New Mexico and Phoenix, AZ are seeing snow! That, I'm sure, doesn't happen very often! One of my friends in in Phoenix right now for vacation, and I'm sure the family she was visiting has given them a hard time about bringing Minnesota's weather to Phoenix. It is kind of ironic how that works! I think what these storms remind us is that we aren't all-powerful. Some things are out of our control, like mother nature. In a way, these storm humble us and force us to slow down and re-examine our life in the midst of our busy schedules.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40861490/ns/weather/