Menu

Topics

Connect

Comments

Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.

‘Tumblegeddon’: Cars trapped under ’30 feet’ of tumbleweeds in Washington state

WATCH: Cops in Washington state reportedly spent about 10 hours trying to dig vehicles out from a pile of tumbleweeds that was blocking State Route 240 near Richland on Dec. 31, 2019 – Jan 2, 2020

Perhaps no one had a stranger New Year’s Eve than motorists and state troopers who spent the night on a lonely stretch of highway in Washington state where a freak windstorm left several cars buried under a mountain of blowing snow tumbleweeds.

Story continues below advertisement

The blizzard of brittle bushes struck on State Route 240 near Richland, Wash., late on New Year’s Eve, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Chris Thorson. Thorson posted video footage and several photos of what he called “tumblegeddon” on Twitter, saying the tumbleweeds were piled “20-30 feet” (6.1 to 9.1 metres) high in some places.

“In the 20 years that I have worked here, I have never seen it as bad as this,” Thorson told NPR. “I’ve never seen six to eight cars, including a semi-truck, actually stopped and trapped on a highway because of tumbleweeds.”

Photos show what looks like an old-timey cowboy’s worst nightmare, with bundles of dried-out weeds piled high around several vehicles.

A motorist sits in his vehicle while transportation workers try to dig it out from a pile of tumbleweeds in Washington state on Dec. 31, 2019. Chris Thorson/Twitter

Thorson said tumbleweeds occasionally interfere with traffic on SR 240 because it runs through a desert plateau.

Story continues below advertisement

“The only time they really become an issue is when we have high winds,” he said.

The trouble likely started when a few tumbleweeds got caught in bushes at the edge of the road, Thorson said. Cars slowed down to avoid the weeds, then strong wind blew more weeds onto the road, effectively burying all the stationary cars.

Police started receiving calls about the tumbleweed traffic jam around 6:30 p.m. State troopers and transportation workers arrived at the scene to find some of the vehicles completely hidden from view.

Authorities shut down the road and brought in heavy plows to help remove the tumbleweeds.

A plow arrives at the scene of a traffic jam caused by tumbleweeds in Washington state on Dec. 31, 2019. Chris Thorson/Twitter

Crews managed to clear the road by 4:30 a.m.

Story continues below advertisement

“A pretty incredible sight,” the Washington State Department of Transportation East tweeted after the road had been cleared. “Big thanks to our crews who worked through the night to clear the roadway.”

Police say there were no collisions or injuries, although one driver abandoned her car at the scene.

Perhaps she didn’t want to spend her New Year’s Eve as the needle in a 30-foot haystack.

Advertisement

You are viewing an Accelerated Mobile Webpage.

View Original Article