Frigid Air Follows Storm From Rockies to Northeast

Temperatures plunged Wednesday as a mass of frigid air poured over the northern states from the Rockies to the Northeast on the heels of a storm that iced over highways, snarling traffic and killing at least six people.

Afternoon temperatures remained below zero from North Dakota to upper Michigan, and it was mostly below freezing from the Appalachians to the Rocky Mountains, weather officials said.

Blustery winds made it feel even colder. It was nine degrees below zero in Grand Forks, N. D., where the wind chill reading was 35 below. Wind gusting to near 35 m.p.h. at Mason City, Iowa, produced a wind chill of 51 below.

Snow advisories were posted in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York near Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

sh Roads Glaze Over

Freezing rain Wednesday morning glazed over roads in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, causing dozens of accidents. Police reported a 25-vehicle pileup in Brooklyn, N.Y., in which at least 10 people suffered minor injuries.

Officials closed Westchester County Airport due to freezing rain and both Newark International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York were closed temporarily so runways could be sanded.

About 10,000 Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. customers in Chautauqua County, N.Y., lost electricity as stiff winds moved through the area, and freezing rain knocked out power for another 1,300 customers of Public Service Electric & Gas Co. in Bergen County, N. J.

At least four people were killed Wednesday morning on treacherous roads in New Jersey, including a pileup involving a commuter bus, a tractor-trailer and 12 other vehicles. Two traffic deaths in Iowa were blamed on the storm.

sh Iowa Students Stranded

In northern Iowa, hundreds of students spent Tuesday night away from home as school officials decided that roads were unsafe for buses, and people with homes near the schools opened their doors to the children.

The rest of their classmates were picked up by parents or went home with friends, Supt. Larry Kauzlarich said.

“Visibility was whiteout to 10 feet at times,” said Lt. John Dempsey of Mason City.

The storm dumped up to 14 inches of snow on Grand Rapids, Minn., and about a foot at the airport in Duluth, Wis.