Snow Squall Leads to 50-Car Pileup on Pennsylvania Highway

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

Several tractor-trailers were involved in the chain-reaction crash on Interstate 81, about 50 miles northeast of Harrisburg, Pa. The wreckage extended for about a mile, the authorities said.

By Neil Vigdor and Johnny Diaz

A blinding snow squall led to a fiery pileup on a Pennsylvania interstate on Monday morning that involved at least 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailers, the authorities said.

The chain reaction happened around 10:36 a.m. on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County about 50 miles northeast of Harrisburg, Pa., where an early spring burst of wintry weather overwhelmed drivers in the northbound lanes.

About 20 people were taken to hospitals, John Blickley, a spokesman for the Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management, said on Monday. He did not know of any fatalities and did not have information about the severity of the injuries.

“The road conditions when the squall came through contributed to the accident,” Mr. Blickley said.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/us/crash-pennsylvania-snow.html

[gab13by13]

1. One should not drive the interstate in a white out.

I remember 4 years ago driving on I-80 in Pa. and I had all wheel drive, I came upon miles of black ice. I drove my all wheel drive vehicle half on half off the road with my flashers on as tractor trailers whizzed by.

[AngryOldDem]

10. I saw footage of that and wondered why most cars were going way too fast.

Then I heard on the news this morning that conditions changed that fast and cars had no chance to slow down. The way some hit those trucks…

But still, you can usually tell way beforehand when you’re heading into a squall.

[Deminpenn]

17. Yes, came up very fast

This was on local news yesterday. We've had very cold weather with snow and strong winds. The cold resulted in light, fluffy snow and windy conditions meant the light, fluffy snow was easily picked up by the wind and scattered producing the "squall".

One driver who was interviewed said she could not see even a few feet ahead, tried to pull off, ended up off the road and hit a tree.

[Efilroft Sul]

2. Check out the footage of this pile-up as it happened.

Link to tweet

?t=Da0Ek24j-oOQY6vDwpxOPg&s=19&fbclid=IwAR27NqWFc0Zj53N-IMz0SfOjJUPI49W0gtyn3ne7TLWp8818lUnpyMW-C6Q

[dixiechiken1]

3. I had never heard the term "snow squall" until this past winter...

My husband is a truck driver and neither had he or his boss or his coworkers. Or anyone else I know where I live along the I-80 corridor in IL. Unfortunately, we had one come through here this winter at night, while my husband and his coworkers were driving, and that's when we all learned exactly what that is.

For those who don't know, a snow squall is a relatively quick duration of heavy, intense snow with heavy winds - a whiteout. While major snowstorms are predicted ahead of time, snow squalls can begin suddenly and typically last less than an hour.

When I saw the footage of what happened in PA, I could totally understand how it could happen. Many of those folks were probably already on the road and it just hit. Tragic.

[doc03]

4. I think "Snow Squall" is common where you get "Lake Effect" snows. nt

[EYESORE 9001]

6. Snow squalls can create 'white-out' conditions

with zero visibility. It’s best to get off the road entirely and wait it out.

[twodogsbarking]

8. Good advice, which way is off the road?

[EYESORE 9001]

13. Good question

The best advice I have is to get off before conditions deteriorate to the point that you can’t see Jack.

[MissB]

9. That poor guy in the Dodge Charger in the video above

(From Twitter) pulled off the road.

He didn’t pull far enough off. He’s fine. He took some amazing video. His charger did not survive the ongoing crunch of cars.

[AngryOldDem]

11. If the sky ahead of you is dark...plan on a squall.

I’ve driven in absolute sunshine and then a few miles later, it was like a blizzard. We tend to get more squalls than prolonged snowstorms here.

[twodogsbarking]

15. Like driving with your eyes closed.

Been there.

[BradAllison]

16. I've driven in many snow storms

The only time I ever had to pull over on the highway was a squall. It lasted less than 10 minutes, at night, but I could not see anything. Fortunately no one plowed into me.

[Emile]

5. I watched part of the pileup on the national news. People were driving too fast, even

the Swift truck!

[twodogsbarking]

7. Clear day to no visibility in two seconds.

Two minutes later clear again. Good luck all.

[Emile]

12. That explains why they were driving too fast.

[twodogsbarking]

14. Your words.

[Deminpenn]

18. Think it was blowing snow, not heavy snow

that produced the squall.