Blizzard Blasts Texas, Kansas; Over 400-Miles of Highway Closed

A snowstorm of historic proportions is rolling through the southern Plain states leaving behind up to 12-inches of snow in some areas and forcing the closure of up to 400-miles of highway, according to AccuWeather.

The blizzard, stretching from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, has brought roads to a standstill with two to four-inches of snow per hour, reports say, and wind gust of 50-miles per hour have created whiteout conditions making it difficult to see.

Police in southern Kansas say visibility is down to 100-feet because of the heavy snow and powerful wind gusts. The harsh conditions have forced the Kansas Department of Transportation to close multiple highways: U.S. 160 from Meade to Coldwater, U.S. 283 from the Oklahoma state line to Minneola, U.S. 183 from the Oklahoma state line to the Edwards county line and K-34 from the junction of U.S. 160, U.S. 183 and K-34 north to Bucklin.

 "Driving conditions are hazardous and visibility is extremely low," KDOT spokesman Kirk Hutchinson told The Wichita Eagle, adding that the worst of the storm is expected to hit the area around 2 p.m..

In Texas, authorities have taken similar measures. Roads in Amarillo were closed around 9 a.m. because of wind gusts over 50-miles per hour and the National Weather Service in Albuquerque reported that "Interstate 40 is closed from the east side of Albuquerque all the way to the TX/OK line, or 390 miles!"

"The winds are tremendous out there," AccuWeather Meteorologist Henry Margusity said. "These are winds you'd normally see in a tropical storm."

Lubbock Preston International airport and the Amarillo International airport have both been closed because of the winterstorm. Officials at Amarillo airport are reporting quarter mile visibility and expect at most 20-inches of snow.

The latest snow totals thus far by AccuWeather report 10-inches in Moreland, 9-inches in Alva, 8-inches in Laverne, Oklahoma. In Texas, 14-inches of snow fell in Lipscomb County.