Toll Rises to 33 as Snowstorm Batters Midwest

A snowstorm blamed for at least 33 deaths plowed across the Midwest on Monday, bringing more snow and ice, shutting down several Indiana counties and stranding hundreds of travelers and closing schools.

Winter storm warnings were issued for parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York state and southern New England.

Heavy rain in Georgia and Alabama, along the storm’s southern edge, caused flooding that forced evacuations of nearly 300 people.

Guard Hauls Supplies

Oklahoma was digging out after one of its worst snowstorms in decades, and New Mexico’s National Guard continued hauling supplies to rural residents snowbound by up to 50 inches of snow and seven-foot drifts.

Slippery roads and blowing and drifting snow in Indiana led officials in six counties to close roads to all but emergency vehicles Monday. Chalmers, Ind., had 10 inches of snow by midday.

Many north-central Indiana counties declared snow emergencies, and parts of Interstate 65 north of Lafayette were closed in the afternoon by blowing, drifting snow.

Up to 11 1/2 inches of snow fell in southern Michigan, accumulating at two inches an hour in places, and minor traffic accidents were reported as wind-blown snow reduced visibility to near zero.

Travelers Seek Shelter

Travelers had to wait out the storm at truck stops, churches and restaurants in Oklahoma and northwestern Texas.

The Highway Patrol said Interstate 40 west of Oklahoma City remained very hazardous Monday, and a restaurant owner in El Reno said only one lane was open in each direction.

Since Thursday, Sumner County, Kan., along the Oklahoma border, has gotten 14 inches, its average for an entire winter.

A session of Missouri’s state Senate was canceled, and in Oklahoma City a parade and ceremony in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were postponed.

Cars and trucks were forced to stop along Interstate 70 in Missouri during the night because of reduced visibility in blowing snow, the National Weather Service said. Columbia got 10 inches of snow.

Accidents Close Highways

Rain, freezing rain and snow caused a rash of accidents in Ohio, and at least two highways were closed by overturned or jackknifed tractor-trailer rigs.

Oklahoma authorities used road graders and four-wheel-drive vehicles to rescue about a dozen people from two tractor-trailer trucks and several other vehicles stranded in western Garfield County.

Heavy snow caused roofs of some homes and businesses to collapse in Oklahoma City, where Sunday’s 8.3 inches in 24 hours was the third heaviest snowfall on record.