Northwest Hit by New Storm : Drifts Leave Much of Midwest Snowed In

Much of the Midwest was paralyzed Monday by snow that drifted up to six feet high, clogged highways, stranded hundreds of travelers and closed schools. A new Pacific storm slapped the Northwest with wind and snow.

Blizzard warnings were issued for parts of northern Michigan, where snow was nearly 3 feet deep along Lake Superior’s shores. The storm blew blinding snow into northern Indiana and Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York state. High winds whipped waves as high as 12 feet along the eastern shore of Lake Erie.

Ice and wind knocked out power to thousands of homes in the region.

Meanwhile, an intense storm centered off southern Oregon brought wet and windy weather to the Northwest.

A blizzard warning was issued for Oregon’s Columbia Gorge, and winter storm warnings were issued for parts of Washington, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana. Accumulations of more than two feet of snow overnight were forecast.

Low-temperature records for the date were tied or broken in 40 cities in 12 states, and frost warnings were issued throughout the South.

Cold Records Shattered

Some of the record low temperatures: 28 degrees below zero in Great Falls, Mont.; 23 below in Billings, Mont.; 24 below in Bismarck, N.D.; 15 below in Casper, Wyo.; 1 below in Dodge City, Kan.; 4 degrees in Amarillo, Tex.; 10 degrees in Oklahoma City; 4 in Pendleton, Ore. and 1 degree in Spokane.

Secondary roads and streets remained closed by snow Monday in parts of South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Most major highways were open, although they were covered with ice and packed snow and travel was hazardous.

“Everything is slick, especially ramps and bridges,” said Wanda Carlson, a dispatcher for the Minnesota State Patrol in St. Paul. “You can probably get through to where you want to go, but a person wouldn’t want to break down out there.”

Minneapolis officials estimated it would take nearly three days to clear the city’s 1,500 miles of streets and alleys after it received more than 21 inches of snow, a record fall from a single storm.

Along Lake Superior in Michigan, 34 inches of snow was on the ground at Houghton, 29 inches at Marquette and 20 inches at Sault Ste. Marie.

Many Flights Delayed

About 200 travelers spent Sunday night at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport when their flights were delayed or canceled. High wind and blowing snow also delayed and canceled flights to and from Chicago’s Midway and O’Hare airports. Travel was returning to normal Monday night, authorities said.

An estimated 500 travelers were stranded overnight at Portage, near Interstate 94 in central Wisconsin. Another 500 people slept in a school in Tomah, Wis., and Interstate 90 remained closed Monday between Tomah and La Crosse. Six-foot snowdrifts were reported in parts of Wisconsin.

“It’s beautiful weather here if you don’t want to go anywhere,” said Jackie Holmes, 51, owner of a motel south of La Crosse. “We’ve shoveled several times, and it blows completely over to what it was before. It’s really bad out there.”

The severe low temperatures and drifting snow forced the closing of hundreds of schools in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and South Dakota.