News & Events - Archived News

[ Up ]

Minnesota snowplow crews parked their rigs Tueday because they couldnt keep up with blowing, drifting snow that closed schools for thousands of youngsters from the Plains to the upper Great Lakes. Willmar, Minn., had more than 28 inches of snow by noon as the storms heaviest snowfall lingered over west-central Minnesota. At least five traffic deaths had been blamed on the storm. Schools were closed from Nebraska to Michigans Upper Peninsula, many for a second day. The weather is really gross. I mean really bad this year, said Ed Kinkle, State Patrol dispatcher in Spooner, Wis. We have extremely large amounts of snow with great drifting and blowing. Snow fell at a rate of 2 to 3 inches an hour at Willmar, about 100 miles west of Minneapolis, the National Weather Service said. Travel was not recommended because of ice, blowing and drifting snow and poor visibility in Wisconsins northern counties, said State Patrol Sgt. Eric Erickson. Only one lane was open on some highways because plows couldnt keep up with the blowing snow, officers said. This is the worst snowstorm weve had in a long time, said Pat Golomb of Butternut, Wis. The snowmobilers say its white gold because they wait for this. Its very deep and very slippery. On Monday, more than 140 miles of Interstate 80 was closed for part of the day from Big Springs, Neb., west to Cheyenne, Wyo., and various state and local highways across the northern Plains also were shut down. Minnesota had three traffic deaths blamed on slippery highways and Wyoming had one. Schools were closed Tuesday in northern Wisconsin and parts of Michigans Upper Peninsula, and dozens of South Dakota schools were shut down for a second day. On Monday, schools also were closed in southwestern Minnesota and western Nebraska, where some senior centers suspended meal deliveries. Northwest Airlines said it had only minor delays Tuesday. On Monday, it canceled 72 flights in and out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Metropolitan Airports Commission spokeswoman Amy von Walter said. By Tuesday morning, 14 inches of snow had fallen at Mitchell, S.D., and Wilmar, Minn., with an estimated 16 at Princeton, Minn. Sioux Falls, S.D., got a record 11.4 inches on Monday; the previous record for the date was a mere 3.9 inches, set in 1988. North Dakota was on the edge of the storm, after being hit by a late October blizzard. Up to 8 inches of snow fell at Wahpeton, and wind gusting to 40 mph caused heavy drifting near Jamestown and Oakes. Wind gusting to 40 mph in Nebraska pushed a school bus off a slick road outside Broken Bow, authorities said. Twenty people, including 17 students, were taken to a hospital with mostly minor injuries. Much of the Plains and Upper Midwest had been enjoying temperatures in the 50s and 60s for the last several weeks. By late Tuesday morning, the temperature in Minneapolis was 33, Sioux Falls had 23 and Superior, Wis., reported 30, the weather service said. The storm system had earlier dumped heavy snow on the mountains of California, Utah and Colorado. Many ski resorts had been forced to delay their openings because of the warm spell. Far to the south, snow blew across the Texas Panhandle on Tuesday as a cold front brought plunging temperatures. Theres going to be a significant, hard freeze a killer freeze, said weather service meteorologist Michael Mach in Fort Worth.