Storm Grips Nine States in Big Chill : Up to 18 Inches of Snow Falls; Cold Perils Northern Crops

An icy storm with winds gusting up to 81 m.p.h. blasted out of the Northwest and gripped parts of nine states in a big chill today, pushing temperatures to record lows, closing the gates of Yellowstone National Park with heavy snow and threatening harvests.

Up to 18 inches of snow blanketed parts of Montana, Utah, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho and the mountains of eastern Oregon. Bitter cold wind made it feel like 20 degrees below zero in some areas.

A winter-storm warning was posted today in north-central and western North Dakota, and the weather service said 18 inches of snow was on the ground near Utah’s Elizabeth Mountain and Mirror Lake.

More snow was forecast today for much of the nine-state area.

Record Lows Established

In Great Falls, Mont., a low of 12 degrees early today broke a record of 18 set in 1966, and Billings’ 17 degrees plunged 11 degrees below an 18-year-old mark.

Another record was set in Glacier Park, Mont., where the temperature reached 20 degrees, 11 degrees lower than the 1961 mark. Pocatello, Ida., had a record low of 22 and Eugene, Ore., tied a record low at 30.

The unseasonable cold reached as far south as Florida where the temperature dived to 41 degrees in Tallahassee.

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Kent Jones said the storm could threaten the wheat and sunflower harvests. Snow can bend or break the plants, and farm machinery would not be able to pick them up, he said. Moisture also lessens crop quality, he said.

3 Park Entrances Closed

In Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park officials closed three of the five entrances because of six inches of snowfall.

Gusting gale-force winds battered much of Colorado, prompting high-wind warnings for the foothills and eastern plains, the San Luis Valley and the mountains.

In Minnesota, with eight inches of snow blanketing northwestern parts of the state, the State Patrol said many cars slid into a ditch in Thief River Falls.