The winter that never ends! Snow and floods sweep east across the U.S. after chaos and Colorado

By Associated Press Reporter

PUBLISHED: 23:04 EST, 23 March 2013 | UPDATED: 23:26 EST, 23 March 2013

A major early spring storm brought heavy snow, severe thunderstorms and floods as it moved east across the United States on Saturday, closing highways, forcing flight cancellations and causing a pileup involving dozens of vehicles.

The weather system forced the cancellations of more than 100 flights in and out of Denver International Airport on Saturday and blowing and drifting snow closed several roads in Colorado, including Interstate 70 in both directions east of Denver to the Kansas state line.

"Travel on the eastern plains is strongly discouraged," said Mindy Crane, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. "It is snowing half an inch an hour with sustained winds of 25 miles an hour with gusts up to 40 miles an hour."

The scene of a one car in Colorado Springs, Colo. early Saturday morning, March 23, 2013. The driver of the vehicle escaped serious injury
Sara Guren and daughter, Stella Beeman, 1, watch their dog Rocky in the snow at North Boulder Park in Boulder, Colo

Chaos: The scene of a one car in Colorado Springs, Colo. early Saturday morning, March 23, 2013. The driver of the vehicle escaped serious injury, left. And Sara Guren and daughter, Stella Beeman, 1, watch their dog Rocky in the snow at North Boulder Park in Boulder, Colo, right

JC Hobbs directs his wife Sarah as they help to pull a van and U-Haul up a hill outside Calhan, Colo

JC Hobbs directs his wife Sarah as they help to pull a van and U-Haul up a hill outside Calhan, Colo

A chain-reaction crash involving some 50 vehicles and at least four tractor-trailers shut down Interstate 25 about 30 miles north of Denver for several hours on Saturday, the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement. A tanker involved in the accident burst into flames.

Several injured people were taken to the hospital but no fatalities were reported, police said.

Kyle Fredin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said some counties in far eastern Colorado had seen a foot of snow by mid-afternoon.

Snowfall accumulations in the Denver metropolitan area could top 10 inches, with higher amounts in the foothills west of the city, he said.

The snow was expected to move east to Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, over the next 24 hours, before moving into the mid-Atlantic states, Kines said.

Delays: Cars and trucks idle on southbound Interstate 25 just south of Highway 34 at the Loveland, Colo. exit Saturday, March 23, 2013 following a multi car wreck that occurred on the interstate during the snow storm

Delays: Cars and trucks idle on southbound Interstate 25 just south of Highway 34 at the Loveland, Colo. exit Saturday, March 23, 2013 following a multi car wreck that occurred on the interstate during the snow storm

Rough weather also was forecast in the Gulf Coast region from Florida to eastern Texas throughout Saturday, with large hail, damaging winds and possible tornadoes, Kines said.

In northern Florida, the National Weather Service in Jacksonville had reports of high winds and possible tornado touchdowns, though no twisters have been confirmed, according to meteorologist Phil Peterson.

Peterson said the weather service also had reports of baseball-sized hail west of Lawtey, Florida, early in the afternoon. Lake City received two inches of heavy rain in 30 minutes, he said.

 
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I'm in Colorado. This is a typical spring storm, no big deal. And yes, the sun usually is all we need unless it dumps a lot. We had 68 degree weather last week. In March we can expect anything.

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They also think the sun is a proper snow management plan here in Denver. And salt is some how magic snow remover and there's no need to plow. It took me 20 min and AWD to get my sick little one to the dr yesterday. Ridiculous, 10" shouldn't shut down a city that gets regular annual snowfall.

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Nothing unusual.

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These pictures don't show that much snow - looks about 5 centimetres at most. In Canada, that's just a flurry.

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Ice Age 5: Continental cool down.

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This isn't new, winter pushes through the first couple weeks of Spring every year. Last year we had a weird heat wave around this time which wasn't normal at all. The heat wave destroyed 70% of the fruit farmers produce. The 50 car pile up however is sad but that's just people not knowing how to drive on icy roads. The winter WILL end then people will be complaining about how hot it is soon enough.

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It is CLIMATE CHANGE dumb ass from WPB!

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Global warming, of course ... lol ...

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72 degrees in California today.

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