Part of I-80 closed as travel not advised

The Iowa Department of Transportation has closed an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in portions of Poweshiek and Jasper Counties. The state DOT says the route between the Kellogg Exit #173 to Malcom exit #191 is impassable.

Strong winds are creating snow drifts over roads across Iowa and snow plows in some areas are being pulled off the road because of safety concerns. You can find the latest road conditions here.

Iowa closes part of I-80, pulls plows from I-35

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - An intense snowstorm has closed parts of Interstate 80 and Interstate 35 in Iowa.

Iowa Department of Transportation spokeswoman Dena Gray-Fisher says a 37-mile stretch of I-80 starting in Des Moines and headed east is impassable. The Iowa Department of Transportation also closed an 18-mile stretch of I-80 just east of Newton about 6 a.m. Wednesday.

On 1-35, a 15-mile stretch ending with an intersection near Ames was shut down around 7:30 a.m.

Gray-Fisher says plows have been pulled off I-35 from just north of Des Moines to the Minnesota border because the freeway is impassible due to blowing snow.

Gray-Fisher says drifting snow has made those roads impassable.

Travel is not advised through much of Iowa.

Travel not advised

More roadways are becoming impassable as state road crews in additional locations are forced off routes due to treacherous weather conditions and limited visibility.

Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) road crews from the following locations are currently pulled from the roadway: Adair, Ames, Atlantic, Bedford, Bloomfield, Clarion, Creston, Corning, Fairfield, Greenfield, Grinnell, Iowa Falls, Latimer, Malcom, Mount Ayr, Oakland, Ottumwa, Perry, Red Oak, Shenandoah, and Williams.

Roadways served by crews from these maintenance facilities may become or are already impassable due to blowing and drifting snow. This includes Interstate 35 from mile marker 96 (Elkhart interchange) north to mile marker 159 (Dows interchange).

The Iowa Department of Transportation's road weather information system is reporting current wind gusts of 44 mph in Ames, 45 in Avoca, 39 in Osceola, 48 in Storm Lake, 47 in Mason City, 37 in Waterloo, 28 in Cedar Rapids, and 37 in Ottumwa.

The Iowa DOT and Iowa State Patrol are advising no travel in parts of southwest, south central, central, east central, and northeast Iowa. This affects travel on Interstates 29, 35, 80, 380, and 680.

Iowa DOT maintenance crews will resume service when conditions permit. Until such time, no travel is advised in these regions. Towing services are prohibited. Do not take unnecessary risks, because rescue of stranded motorists may be extremely difficult.

Individual road closures are too numerous to list. For the latest road conditions, call 511 (in Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide), or visit

www.511ia.org (select the low bandwidth option for best results).