[sageb1]

We had a very sudden squall here in eastern upstate NY yesterday afternoon. It was snowing horizontally. Total whiteout and very scary.

Prayers up for all involved in this accident.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

We were in Bethlehem when that squall hit, and it was like an instant blizzard with the wind blowing the snow all over. It didn’t last that long, and when it was over, the sun came out.

[Alberta's Child]

Amazing story -- similar to another incident that occurred not far from Hazleton on I-80 a few years ago.

I've had truckers tell me that I-81 from central Pennsylvania up to the Canadian border in upstate New York is one of the worst highways they've ever driven on -- mainly because of weather-related issues like this one.

[ASA Vet]

What State?

[devane617]

Hazelton? Colorado? Mississippi? California?

[wintertime]

I know the area. I am very sorry.

[mass55th]

I've been on Route 81 in Pa. during winter storms over the years. It's one of the worst roads to drive on since they don't use salt to keep the roads clear. I can remember being stranded in Lancaster, Pa. one January, about 9-10 years ago. I was on my way back home from a Civil War reenactment in Charleston, S.C. Wind chill in Pa. was about minus 50, and there had been an ice storm from Richmond, Virginia on up the coast.

The ice build-up on the roads in Pa. was in inches and everything was closed, even the shopping malls. They had rolling blackouts in Pa. because of the extremely cold weather. The closest place to get a bite was across the street from the Super 8 motel I was staying in. It's now a WaWa Gas station. And because of the power blackouts, you couldn't get any hot food, so I had to settle for a sandwich.

My old VW Jetta wouldn't start because of the cold, and when I called AAA about getting a jump, they asked me where I thought I'd be going since Route 81 was closed due to the ice storm and jack-knifed tractor trailers. At the time I had a cast on my left wrist, having broken it after slipping and falling on black ice back home in central NY State. I had an appointment to get the cast off that Friday. Fortunately, the roads eventually opened, and I was able to get out in time to get back home and get the cast off.

It wasn't one of my better trips. For a woman with money in her pocket, to be stuck in a city where the shopping malls are closed is a nightmare. I actually ended up having to replace the tires on my car because they were worn down from having to drive for so many miles over the rutted and rippled ice through Pa.

[kailbo]

I sat in the resulting traffic for nearly 2 hours yesterday afternoon / evening. Sorry that any fatalities occurred, but thank God it was only one given the magnitude of the pile up.

[Tribune7]

ping

[Tribune7]

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[dragnet2]

Snow squalls and whiteout conditions in the Hazleton area brought Interstate 81 traffic to a halt for more than four hours Sunday when dozens of vehicles were involved in a massive chain-reaction crash that left one Maryland woman dead.

Hmmm...Sunny, clear and will be about 75 degrees today in S. Cal.

[airborne]

Hockey Ping!