I-10 reopens through Culberson, Hudspeth counties after winter storm that stranded thousands
UPDATE, Jan. 31: VAN HORN, Texas —Interstate 10 has reopened in both directions after an hours-long closure that started Wednesday night through Culberson County due to a winter storm that stranded thousands.
Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carillo told ABC-7 the interstate opened early Thursday morning. However, he still warned people that there were very dangerous driving conditions, and at any moment, a crash could shut down the interstate again.
"I've been sheriff for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this," Carillo said.
The Texas Department of Emergency Management set up a warming center for motorists overnight at the Van Horn Convention Center.
The National Weather Service and the Texas Dept. of Transportation also advised of multiple traffic crashes Wednesday afternoon and evening due to snowfall that made travel along Interstate 10 through neighboring Hudspeth County hazardous too.
Major delays and heavy traffic backups occurred, officials said, as numerous plow crews worked to clear the highway.
As of Wednesday night, officials indicated one of the worst wrecks was finally cleared; it shut down I-10 east of Hudspeth County before Kent, Exit 173, for hours.
ORIGINAL REPORT, Jan. 30: VAN HORN, Texas — Forecasters with the National Weather Service issued Winter Storm Warnings for Hudspeth and Culberson counties on Wednesday, saying a storm bearing down on west Texas was expected to bring significant snowfall through the day.
The NWS warned of total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches in Hudspeth County and 4 to 7 inches in Culberson County.
Travel was predicted to be very difficult, with very slick road conditions expected along Interstate 10 and Highway 54 in those areas.
The snow showers were forecast to taper off and end by late Wednesday night.
ABC-7 meteorologist Nick Patrick said El Paso and Las Cruces would largely deal with windy conditions from the storm system and perhaps some rain. Winds near the mountains were anticipated to gust as high as 35 miles per hour.
Temperatures were also forecast to be colder than normal in the storm’s wake.
For your complete forecast and current weather conditions, please visit kvia.com/weather. To view ABC-7 StormTrak Doppler Radar click here. And to get the latest road conditions, visit kvia.com/traffic.
You can also look for traffic alerts all across the state over at Drive Texas -- a map that's updated by TxDOT.
