'Tumblegeddon': Cars Trapped by Tumbleweeds on Highway in Washington State
Troopers in the state of Washington reportedly spent 10 hours trying to dig cars and a semi-truck out from a carpet of tumbleweeds that blocked State Route 240 near Richland in Washington on New Year’s Eve.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Chris Thorson filmed the event, and in a Twitter post on January 1 wrote: “After 10 hours of SR 240 being closed last night on New Year’s Eve, it was opened around 0430 thanks to @WSDOT_East. We still have one abandon car trapped in the tumbleweeds that was found at daylight, luckily no one was in it. No injuries were reported.”
Media reported that strong winds caused the thicket of tumbleweeds to blow onto the highway with piles as high as 20 feet in some places. Credit: Trooper C. Thorson via Storyful
