Students traveling home for Thanksgiving break over the weekend experienced an odd mix of inclement weather in parts of Wyoming, making for dangerous roads.
The National Weather Service reported that several parts of Wyoming received snow ranging from four inches to less than one inch on both Tuesday and Sunday, both of which were key travel days for students.
Annalesha Webster, a UW junior majoring in accounting, said that she was fortunate enough to drive away from the incoming weather on her way home last Tuesday.
“It was 75 degrees in Denver that day which is a record high so I had clear traffic all the way home,” Webster said.
Webster believes that the winter maintenance of Wyoming’s roadways into Colorado could be better, “It seems like I-80 is always closed and 287 is not taken care of.”
Roads were not the only issue traveling students had to handle. Many students taking planes home also dealt with weather related issues.
Abbi Nichols, a UW sophomore, was stranded on an airplane for seven and a half hours on her way home..
“My flight back into Denver was diverted to Colorado Springs due to fog, which meant I didn’t even get to Denver until 3 a.m.”
Sargent David Wagner, Public Information Officer for the Wyoming Highway Patrol, said that some wrecks occurred over the weekend and the numbers were, “above average but not extremely high.”
Sargent Wagner said it was a fairly safe weekend in comparison to other weekends the Wyoming Highway Patrol has experienced, “On November 29 and 30 we had 57 crashes total, to give you a comparison. Two weeks ago we had a storm in which just in the immediate Cheyenne area we had 28 crashes in just two hours.”
Sargent Wagner said that there were many things that students could keep in mind to help them stay safe on Wyoming’s roadways when they head home for the winter break including getting ample rest before departing.
“One of the biggest things I see is students not giving themselves enough time before they leave. They are up late studying and working on projects and as soon as they are done they hop in the car and go and that’s dangerous.”
Sargent Wagner suggested always checking road conditions before departing Laramie which can be done by calling 888-WYOROAD or checking the Wyoming Department of Transports website.
Additionally Sargent Wagner stressed the importance of obeying the variable speed limit signs that can be found across the state along I-80, “there may be good driving conditions at the sign but just a few miles ahead driving conditions have deteriorated.”
