Storms Close Highways, Disrupt Electrical Service in West, South

Storms pushed gale-force winds, freezing rain and snow into Western states Monday, threatening some with avalanches and closing roads from Washington to Colorado.

Rain, snow and ice spread from the Gulf states to the Great Lakes, closing schools, snapping power lines and spawning tornadoes across the South.

The Pacific storm system prompted warnings for heavy snow in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The National Weather Service issued a warning for winds of up to 50 m.p.h. along the Oregon coast, and a travelers’ advisory was issued for eight inches of snow in the Cascades and Siskiyous.

Oregon Highway Closed

Highway 140 in southeastern Oregon was closed because of snow drifts. Rain drenched western Washington, and snow at the higher elevations forced the closure of the state’s major mountain highway because of avalanche danger.

In Colorado, avalanche dangers increased, and snowslides on Loveland Pass closed U.S. Highway 6. Slides also closed Coal Bank and Red Mountain passes.

The storm system in the Midwest produced snowy road conditions in southern Illinois that forced dozens of schools to close. Three persons were killed in weather-related accidents on Illinois roads Monday.

Morning Traffic Snarled

Up to six inches of snow glazed with freezing rain hit parts of lower Michigan, snarling morning rush-hour traffic and closing schools in at least 11 counties.

Ice broke power lines around Cleveland, where schools were closed because of dangerous driving conditions. About one-fourth of the school bus drivers failed to report to work, and others refused to drive on the ice.

About 21,000 persons in the area were without electrical power because of downed power lines.

Hail, High Winds

Along the southern edge of the weather system, thunderstorms lashed the Gulf Coast with hail and high winds, spinning off tornadoes and overturning mobile homes in southeast Louisiana.