Piles of tumbleweed trapped cars along Washington highway on New Year's Eve
Tumbleweeds piled onto Washington State highway. (Photo Courtesy: Trooper Chris Thorson, Washington State Patrol)
NEAR KENNEWICK, Wa. - Parts of Washington State welcomed 2020 with a "tumblegeddon", as workers had to dig out cars trapped underneath piles of tumbleweed that gathered on a highway.
The incident happened along a state highway in Southeast Washington. According to Trooper Chris Thorson with Washington State Patrol, the highway had to be closed in both directions at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as tumbleweeds gathered on the roadway, trapping a number of cars underneath. In one of the photos posted by Trooper Thorson, a man was seen in one of the trapped cars.
Man trapped inside a vehicle surrounded by tumbleweeds along a stretch of Washington state highway
In some parts of the roadway, Trooper Thorson said tumbleweeds were piled 20 to 30 feet high. The roadway reopened on 4:30 a.m., New Year's Day. One abandoned car was found underneath the tumbleweeds during the daylight hours.
According to Trooper Thorson on Twitter, the blockage is, to his knowledge, a much larger one than people would normally see. According to reports by Spokane, Wa. FOX affiliate KAYU, windy conditions led to the tumbleweed pileup.
This story was reported on from Phoenix.