Snow Squall Causes Multi-Vehicle Pileup in Pennsylvania; At Least Three People Killed, 20 Others Injured

Pennsylvania incurred a multi-vehicle pileup caused by a snow squall on Monday, March 28.

The collision involved dozens of vehicles, which also resulted in some of them to caught fire.

The incident resulted in the deaths of at least three people and 20 others were sent to the hospital due to injuries.

Multi-Vehicle Collision

Local authorities closed a part of Interstate 81 (I-81) located 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia city until further notice, according to Schuylkill County Emergency Management, as cited by NBC News.

Officials reportedly attributed the pileup to a so-called "spring snow squall."

The collisions resulted in explosions and fires on multiple vehicles, including tractor-trailers, as they slammed into each other-with some people being trapped in their cars, according to a pileup witness and survivor Sam Beagle via The Weather Channel.

The pileup occurred between the exits of 116 and 119 along I-81.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, state police, and emergency services, including fire rescue teams, immediately responded to the road traffic accident.

Although it is unclear what primarily caused the pileup, initial assessments by witnesses suggested that a late-season snowstorm triggered a heavy fog that yielded in low visibility on the highway, as per CBS News.

Related Incidents

Similar to the recent Pennsylvania pileup, severe weather conditions, including dense fog and snow squalls, causing multiple road traffic accidents are common in the United States and some parts of the world.

On March 17, a similar incident also transpired in Missouri where a morning fog triggered lethal road collisions involving dozens of cars along Interstate 57 (I-57), which killed six people, according to The New York Times.

In 2012, fog led to massive road crashes on a highway in Texas involving between 80 and 100 vehicles.

The incident killed two people and injured approximately 100 others, wherein 12 of them were in critical condition.

Snow Squall

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - National Weather Service (NWS), snow squalls are considered one of the most dangerous natural weather phenomena wherein.

They can lead to sudden whiteouts and icy road conditions due to winds and extreme cold temperatures in a matter of minutes.

Although snow squalls are short-lived, their quick outburst of heavy snowfall is what makes them dangerous.

The occurrence of snow squalls is known for their abrupt transition as they can go in and out in a matter of minutes and usually less than an hour, as per the NOAA - NWS.

The US weather agency has associated snow squalls with strong cold fronts and is considered to be the primary hazards of winter weather.

However, they can still occur during springtime.

The phenomena have a long history of being responsible for deadly traffic accidents due to its gusty winds and falling temperatures, resulting in poor road visibility for motorists.

The latest incident happened following a recent forecast winter weather-like storm that strengthened over the Midwest and Great Lakes, which is set to affect the Central US.

The spring snow squall in Pennsylvania is an unusual event since the US has already entered its spring season on March 20.