Intense winter storm hitting US, dramatic traffic accidents reported

An intense winter storm is currently affecting the east and southeast US with snow and ice. The system already caused widespread traffic disruptions and deadly crashes in the country throughout the weekend of December 17, 2016. According to latest reports, at least 29 people have lost their lives.

According to media reports, numerous dangerous situations occurred across some of the busiest roads, brought on by the Winter Storm "Decima". A large pileup was reported on I-95 near Baltimore on the morning of December 17 (local time) while one person died due to weather-related incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia. 

Sleet and freezing rain conditions were reported in Tennessee. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), freezing rain affected Greenbrier, Westmoreland, Clarksville and White House while slush and sleet also occurred in Jackson.

Video credit: SVLMediaLLC

Video credit: SVLMediaLLC

Icy conditions were also reported in southwestern Michigan where one person died, following a crash on M-37.

Four people were injured and one died on the morning of December 17 after a 23-vehicle pileup occurred on I-495 in Fairfax County. The incident forced the road to shut down temporarily. 

Two people died after a traffic incident on I-95 in Maryland on the morning of December 17 (local time) where a tanker truck fell off the road and exploded. According to Roman Clark, a Chief of the Baltimore Fire Department, 15 people were injured in the incident, as 55 cars piled up, following the truck's fall. One other person died in an unrelated traffic incident near Baltimore while several other injuries were reported.

Two deadly crashes were reported in Marion County, Indiana. Numerous injuries were reported, as well.

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Ten people died on Missouri road on December 16. Since then, officials responded to 3 757 emergency calls. In total, 1 522 crashes occurred in the state. 171 injuries and six fatal accidents were reported. Numerous traffic incidents were also reported in Caldwell County, near Livingston County, and the Lafayette County.

Multiple incidents were reported in Nebraska and Oklahoma, as well. At least three people died in the Oklahoma City area on the night of December 16 (local time) and over 100 accidents were reported.

The strong cold front that was responsible for all of the storminess and gusty winds over the eastern US has now cleared the East Coast. However, the southern flank of this front will slowly advance southward across the Florida peninsula through Tuesday, NWS said today.

Some lingering rain is expected across the southeastern US on Monday behind the front, followed by drier and much cooler conditions by midweek.

An expansive high pressure area is large and in charge across much of the central and eastern US through Wednesday behind the cold front. Sunny to partly cloudy skies will be commonplace, except for some lake effect snow showers downwind of the Great Lakes.

Although temperatures are moderating some across the Plains, bitterly cold conditions are expected on Monday across much of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region.

Below normal temperatures are also anticipated for much of the southern US.

An approaching Pacific low pressure system will produce another round of rain and mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest for the beginning of the work week. Some freezing rain may be possible for interior valleys where a shallow layer of sub-freezing temperatures exist. This low will then track inland across the northern Rockies and bring accumulating snow to this region by Tuesday.

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