Current:Home > MarketsTumble-mageddon: Tumbleweeds overwhelm Utah neighborhoods, roads-LoTradeCoin
Tumble-mageddon: Tumbleweeds overwhelm Utah neighborhoods, roads
View Date:2024-12-23 16:51:38
High winds caused tumbleweeds to engulf streets, highways and neighborhoods in parts of Utah and Nevada over the weekend.
Videos shared online show massive amounts of tumbleweeds swarming parts of Utah, even stacking several feet high around homes. In Pahrump − just outside of Death Valley National Park − tumbleweeds could be seen sweeping roads in every direction.
Severe weather brought wind gusts of over 60 mph to the western U.S., knocking down trees, damaging infrastructure and causing power outages.
Residents of South Jordan, south of Salt Lake City, were among the people forced to plough the mess before city officials arrived with support.
Officials provide dumpsters to dispose tumbleweeds
South Jordan officials set up several dumpster locations dedicated exclusively to tumbleweeds as they worked on clearing roads. A city representative told USA TODAY on Monday that the situation is being managed with a solid rotation of the designated dumpsters.
Farther south, roads and neighborhoods in Eagle Mountain were also flooded by the prickly debris. City officials said residents are responsible for clearing tumbleweeds off their property but could ask for assistance if the quantity is excessive.
"The city strongly discourages pushing the tumbleweeds into the street. This will not get them cleared any faster and creates traffic safety issues in the community," officials wrote on Facebook.
Incident named 'tumble-mageddon' and 'tumbleweed takeover'
The invasion has left many referring to the incident as "tumble-mageddon' or 'tumbleweed takeover."
One X user said on Sunday that South Jordan looked like a scene of a Western movie and called it "Mother nature's tumbleweed takeover."
“Luckily, it’s something we can handle,” South Jordan communications manager Rachel Van Cleave told local outlet KSL-TV. "This is not our first tumble-megaddon."
March blizzard:Over 10 feet of snow in Tahoe brings snowfall totals above average
What is a tumbleweed made of
Tumbleweeds start out as a bright green thistle that is popular among mice, pronghorns and bighorn sheep. After maturing and dying, the remains the succulent plant break off at the root and are blown away by wind.
As they moves wherever the wind takes them, tumbleweeds disperse as many as 250,000 seeds. Unlike most seeds, these weeds don't have a protective cover or stored food reserves but rather contain a coiled, miniature plant in a thin membrane.
Contributing: Clay Thompson, The Arizona Republic
veryGood! (64358)
Related
- Lions find way to win, Bears in tough spot: Best (and worst) from NFL Week 10
- Trump Rolled Back 100+ Environmental Rules. Biden May Focus on Undoing Five of the Biggest Ones
- Humpback Chub ‘Alien Abductions’ Help Frame the Future of the Colorado River
- Supreme Court takes up dispute over educational benefits for veterans
- Congress heard more testimony about UFOs: Here are the biggest revelations
- Supreme Court takes up dispute over educational benefits for veterans
- In Hurricane Florence’s Path: Giant Toxic Coal Ash Piles
- Chicago has the worst air quality in the world due to Canadian wildfire smoke
- Human head washes ashore on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
- McCarthy says I don't know if Trump is strongest GOP candidate in 2024
Ranking
- Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
- Microinsurance Protects Poor Farmers Facing Increasing Risks from Climate Change
- Kendall Jenner Sizzles in Little Black Dress With Floral Pasties
- Costco starts cracking down on membership sharing
- Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- An Unlikely Alliance of Farm and Environmental Groups Takes on Climate Change
- 2 Tennessee inmates who escaped jail through ceiling captured
- Trump Budget Risks ‘Serious Harm’ to America’s Energy Future, 7 Former DOE Officials Warn
Recommendation
-
Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
-
In New York City, ‘Managed Retreat’ Has Become a Grim Reality
-
Biden promises internet for all by 2030
-
Coal’s Decline Not Hurting Power Grid Reliability, Study Says
-
Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
-
A Coal Ash Spill Made These Workers Sick. Now, They’re Fighting for Compensation.
-
Senate investigation argues FBI, DHS officials downplayed or failed to properly share warnings of violence on Jan. 6
-
With Biden’s Win, Climate Activists See New Potential But Say They’ll ‘Push Where We Need to Push’