Snow Covers Midwest as Tornado Lashes Georgia

A snowstorm dumped nearly two feet of snow on the upper Midwest today, halting business on the last day of winter, while a tornado plucked five vehicles off a Georgia highway and slammed them into a concrete wall, injuring 12 people.

The twister that hit this morning in Marietta, Ga., picked up four cars and a tractor-trailer truck and hurled them into a wall separating the north and southbound lanes of Interstate 75, police said.

The tornado flipped some of the vehicles like toys. The driver of the tractor-trailer rig said he spotted a dark cloud just before his vehicle was hurled through the air.

Officials at Kennestone Hospital said at least 12 people were brought to the emergency room with injuries. Ten were treated and released.

Races Down Interstate

The twister cut a path 100 feet wide and 2 miles long, racing down the interstate before veering into a residential neighborhood about a mile away, officials said.

The roof of a house was hurled onto the highway, causing a multicar pileup.

Three members of a family were pulled from the wreckage of a house that collapsed during the storm. The couple and their 4-year-old daughter were taken to Kennestone Hospital.

Rescuers dug through the rubble of homes and businesses looking for others who might be trapped in the debris.

22 Inches of Snow

A late winter storm covered Marquette, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with 22 inches of snow, and more is expected, the National Weather Service said today. Blizzard conditions were reported, and gale warnings were posted for all the Great Lakes.

“Very thick, wet snow,” Marquette County Sheriff’s Deputy Dean Rushford said. “It’s causing a lot of power lines and branches to fall down onto roadways and housetops.”

The highest snowfall was recorded in Herman, where 24.2 inches fell in the 24 hours since the storm began about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

“Everything is pretty much at a standstill right now,” Houghton County Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Rafaelli said. “I don’t foresee any businesses opening up today.”