Emergency workers in Washington State had to dig out motorists after tumbleweed trapped their vehicles on Highway 240 in Yakima. The highway had to be closed in both directions after heavy winds blew the tumbleweed onto the roadway, leaving five cars and a semi-truck trapped for roughly ten hours on New Year's Eve.
Workers brought out two snowplows to clear the tumbleweed from the road. The rescue operation lasted well into the night, and some of the trapped motorists had to ring in the new year stuck in their cars, buried under a 30-foot pile of tumbleweed.
"In the 20 years on the job, I've never seen anything like this before. We've officially dubbed it 'Tumbleggedon 2020'," Washington State Trooper Chris Thorson told the Seattle Times.
Nobody was injured, though some of the trapped motorists were not thrilled about missing their New Year's Eve festivities.
Officials warned motorists to be cautious while driving because heavy winds could blow more tumbleweed onto the roadway.