‘Nightmare’ Blizzard Rips Idaho, Utah : Visibility Cut to Zero; Bus Riders Stranded in 4-Foot Snowdrifts;

A ferocious blizzard tore through Idaho and Utah today, and snowmobiles were dispatched to rescue bus travelers stranded in four-foot snowdrifts. Winds up to 60 m.p.h. whipped snow into blinding curtains that cut visibility to zero.

“We’ve had motorists stranded and multiple-vehicle accidents. It’s zero visibility,” Idaho State Police dispatcher Eric Anderson said in Pocatello. “It’s a nightmare down here.”

About 80 commuters were stranded on two Utah Transit Authority buses as the blizzard roared into western Salt Lake Valley just as the morning rush hour began.

People driving to work “got stuck,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt. Eugene Van Roosendaal. “We tried to get plows to them--and they were stuck. We got police cars stuck. Those are out now, but the buses are still in.”

2 Feet of Snow in Oregon

The storm created blizzard conditions in northeast Oregon, where up to two feet of snow fell in the mountains, and in northwest Montana, where blowing snow cut visibility to near zero.

Snow fell from the northern Rockies to Northern California, with 19 inches in Blue Canyon in the Sierra Nevada.

Temperatures fell below zero today from the Plains to the Northeast and as far south as Topeka, Kan. Paducah, Ky., set a record low of 1 degree, and high winds in the Northeast kept wind-chill factors plummeting.

Blowing snow that caused poor visibility was blamed for a 15-car pileup and a 30-car crash on Interstate 81 near Syracuse, N.Y., officials said. No injuries were reported.

Schools Closed in 2 States

To the west, blizzard conditions forced schools to close in Oregon and Idaho, and travel was a hazard due to blowing snow.

“If people insist on traveling, they ought to be prepared to survive in their cars,” one Oregon official cautioned.

Two inches of snow at Kalispell, Wyo., combined with 45-m.p.h. gusts to create blizzard conditions and cut visibility to zero.

High wind warnings were posted for southeast Idaho, western Utah, south central Wyoming and San Francisco Bay, where winds peaked at 51 m.p.h.

The blizzard shut down parts of Idaho.

Winds Close 2 Highways

Sixty-m.p.h. winds struck the Pocatello and Idaho Falls areas, forcing the closing of Interstates 15 and 86, the major links between Utah and western Idaho.

“All schools are closed, and traffic is at a standstill,” said Bonneville County, Ida., Sheriff’s Deputy Terrill Ockerman. “Blowing snow, that’s the problem. It’s blowing in as fast as they can plow it out.”

Blowing snow shut down Interstate 5 overnight in Northern California. Snow and mud slides made roads impassable in the Sierra Nevada and the Siskiyou Mountains.

‘Travel ... Very Risky’

Oregon authorities reopened Interstate 84 but warned motorists to stay put.

“People should probably not travel for the next 48 hours,” said Rich Higgins, emergency management director in Oregon’s Union County. “Travel is very risky. The road may blow shut behind or in front of you.”