Late March is usually a safe time of the year to travel old Route 66, barring a thunderstorm or two.
Not this year. There are currently blizzard warnings or winter storm warnings from central New Mexico, the entire Texas Panhandle to most of western and central Oklahoma.
According to the Quay County Sun, U.S. 54 was briefly closed in Tucumcari, N.M., and visibility is a mere 20 feet from San Jon, N.M., to the Texas line. Several inches of snow have already fallen in the region, and high winds are making it more treacherous.
The Amarillo Globe-News is reporting that up to 14 inches of snow will fall in the Texas Panhandle, with 30 to 40 mph winds. The National Weather Service is labeling the storm as “dangerous.”
Winter storm watches continue from northeastern Oklahoma into central Missouri.
It should all effectively end by Sunday, when skies clear and highs will range from the 50s to the low 70s.