High winds restrict mobile homes, cause ‘Tumblegeddon’ on I-82 near Tri-Cities

A storm blowing through Eastern Washington led to the restriction of mobile homes on Interstate 82 between Prosser and the Oregon border on Saturday.

The high winds also pushed a wall of tumbleweeds across I-82, blocking one lane near the Highway 395 exit into Kennewick.

The mobile home movement restriction, ordered by the Washington Department of Transportation, is for both directions of travel from milepost 82 to milepost 132.

The order went into effect shortly before 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

“Due to the weather-related nature of this restriction an estimated end time is not available,” according to the department travel alert.

Trooper Carlos Mata responded to a semi truck and trailer rollover around 9 a.m. on Highway 240, about 15 miles west of Richland, according to a tweet from Trooper Chris Thorson.

The Washington State Patrol spokesperson for the Tri-Cities area said the truck’s driver was injured and taken to a local hospital.

“Trucks get blown over in this area by high wind several times a year,” Thorson said.

The extreme winds make it difficult for high-profile vehicles to travel.

In a separate tweet Saturday morning, Thorson said, “#Tumblegeddon strikes again.”

He added that a Department of Transportation crew was called in to assist with removing the wall of tumbleweeds across I-82.

The National Weather Service in Pendleton shows gusts up to 50 mph in the Tri-Cities through Saturday. The wind advisory is until 4 p.m.

The forecast also calls for a high temperature of 54 degrees with a 20 percent chance of rain.

This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 9:11 AM.