Published: December 28,2015
More than three feet of snow fell in parts of eastern New Mexico during the fierce winter storm, and violent winds drove snow drifts as high as 8 to 10 feet.
(FORECAST: The Latest on Winter Storm Goliath)
"This is a dire situation, especially the eastern part of the state," said New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. She issued a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.
Below are the latest state-by-state impacts from this intense winter storm.
Illinois
Much of northern Illinois was reporting snowy, icy conditions Monday morning as Goliath arrived, and it had major effects on travel.More than 800 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Monday alone, according to FlightAware. Midway International Airport reported more than 200 additional cancelations.
Ice began to accumulate in parts of central and northern Illinois Monday morning, and officials urged residents to prepare for possible power outages, as the thick ice and strong winds will likely knock down trees and power lines.
Indiana
Parts of Indiana saw the first major winter storm of the year, and state roadways paid the price.Snowy, icy interstates were the site of many accidents – too many to count, officials told the AP – Monday morning and afternoon. One of the roadways that was especially poor was Interstate 80/94 in Lake County, located in northwestern Indiana.
"In many ways this is one of the first winter weather events of the year and that can be challenging because as you well know people forget how to drive," Matt Deitchley, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation, told the (Munster) Times. "People need to brake early and check their brakes often and reduce speeds."
Thousands of customers in northern Indiana lost power due to the weather conditions Monday afternoon, multiple power companies told the AP.
Iowa
Snow and freezing rain became problematic all over the state Monday morning, and many of the state's roads were either partially or completely snow-covered, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.All of the major roads remained open across the state, but officials asked drivers to be careful and slow down due to the poor conditions.
Although schools are closed for the holiday break, several other groups and businesses also announced closures Monday due to the weather; KCCI.com has a complete list.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma State Department of Health said 56 storm-related injuries have occurred in the Sooner State since Goliath's snow and ice began over the weekend.Widespread thick ice was reported across central Oklahoma Monday morning, and the Department of Transportation reported awful driving conditions across much of the state.
Nearly 200,000 customers were without power Monday afternoon in Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Goliath's heavy ice toppled trees and power lines, making it dangerous for residents and power crews to be outside.
Many of the major interstates around Oklahoma City were extremely icy, and drivers were urged to stay home.
Nebraska
Roads became snow-covered and dangerous all over Nebraska on Monday, and authorities responded by urging drivers to be extremely careful, or just stay off the roads altogether.New Mexico
More than 3 feet of snow was recorded near Bonito Lake, while at least 2 feet fell near Edgewood, Sedillo and San Antonito."We have a lot of resources on the ground to clear our roads, as well as conduct search and rescue operations," Gov. Martinez said. "I ask New Mexicans to please stay off the roads until conditions improve."
Interstate 40 was closed for 390 miles in New Mexico from Albuquerque to the Texas/Oklahoma border. Numerous other road closures – such as U.S. Highway 82, which was closed from mile marker 17 to mile marker 191 in the state – were reported. Elsewhere, state officials have warned of difficult driving conditions. Click here for the latest road-condition updates.
Police spokesman Fred Duran told the Associated Press hotels along I-40 were full and had to turn people away.
Police officers in Albuquerque said they responded to 178 weather-related accidents by Saturday night, about 58 of which involved injuries, the AP reported.
Roswell, which receives about 11 inches of snow annually, reported 12.4 inches in one day from Goliath, breaking the all-time single-day snowfall record for the city. A total of 15.6 inches of snow fell in Roswell during the winter storm.
Texas
Northwestern Texas was crushed by Goliath, crippling travel and creating blizzard conditions. More than 51,000 customers were without power across the state Monday morning, with many of those outages attributed to the winter storm.Officials warned people to stay off roads in the Texas Panhandle as vicious winds and heavy snow pounded the area. The I-40 closure from the New Mexico-Texas border east to Amarillo was lifted Monday afternoon. I-27 from Plainview to Canyon was also reopened.
Schools and businesses were closed Monday across the Panhandle, including in Lubbock, Amarillo and Midland/Odessa.
According to the NWS, there were multiple reports of people stranded in vehicles in Hockley County as well as Lubbock County.
According to NWS reports, Lubbock received 11 inches of snow on Sunday, the largest snowfall on a single December day since records began in 1911. The city averages 8.2 inches for the entire season.
California
The storm system responsible for Winter Storm Goliath spawned a rare December tornado east of Sacramento that damaged the roofs of numerous homes and at least one business and downed trees on Christmas Eve.National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Shoemaker said the tornado traveled several miles through El Dorado County Thursday afternoon with winds of 80 to 90 miles an hour. There were no reports of injuries.
The storm also brought heavy snow to California's Sierra Nevada, the AP reported. It was enough snow, in fact, to put the mountains' snowpack above average for this time of year.
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