Whiteout conditions, howling winds 75 mph, 3 ft snow drifts: north Texas paralyzed by ‘historic blizzard’

February 26, 2013 – TEXAS – A strong winter storm blowing through the Texas Panhandle has lead to road closures and blizzard conditions in the area, where as many as 100 motorists are stranded between Amarillo and Lubbock. Trooper David Hawthorne of the Texas Department of Public Safety in Amarillo said National Guard troops are helping state troopers and local deputies and police find and help motorists stranded in whiteout conditions. Numerous major Texas Panhandle highways were closed for the night as sub-freezing temperatures froze ice and compacted snow on the pavement. The Texas Department of Transportation website showed most major routes in the region were closed. The National Weather Service said as many as 100 motorists on Interstate 27 between Amarillo and Lubbock found themselves stalled in whiteout conditions in the worst of the storm, Monday. The American Red Cross set up two shelters for stranded motorists. Red Cross spokeswoman Martha Riddlesburger says about 50 stranded Interstate 27 motorists sought shelter at its shelter in Tulia, about 50 miles south of Amarillo. Red Cross spokesman Steven Pair says 45 motorists stranded on Interstate 40 sought refuge in a shelter in Groom, 45 miles east of Amarillo. As of 7 p.m., the heaviest snowfall in Texas was recorded in Amarillo with 19 inches of snow, 16 inches in Fritch, 15 inches in Pampa and 14 inches in Booker. In Oklahoma, 15 inches was recorded in Woodward and 11 inches in Shattuck. While snowfall is expected to taper off by Monday afternoon, wind gusts of up to 35 mph will remain a hazard, said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Amarillo, Texas, office. The strong storm is expected to bring cooler temperatures and a wintery mix to DFW Monday evening with possible wind gusts of 75 miles an hour. Whiteouts were also reported in Oklahoma, where as of 10 a.m. Central time, the state had closed all highways in six counties — Ellis, Harper, Woodward, Beaver, Texas and Cimarron — until further notice. –NBCDWF, CNN