The Nation : 60-M.P.H. Winds Lash Rockies, Plains

Strong winds gusting to 60 m.p.h. drilled the Rockies and northern plains, churning up a light snowfall into blizzard conditions that chased drivers from the highways in Minnesota and Wyoming. Cold weather rode in on the winds, dropping temperatures to the teens and single digits across the northern reaches of the plains. Winds spelled the end of a mild weekend that saw temperatures reach 70 degrees at Garden City, Kan. As the winds shifted to the northwest in Kansas City, the temperature dropped 13 degrees in one hour, from 47 degrees to 34. High winds raked southeast Wyoming, cutting visibility to near zero at times in blowing snow. Portions of Interstate 80 near Cheyenne were closed for several hours because of the poor visibility. Winds gusted to 50 m.p.h. and 55 m.p.h. at Limon and Fort Morgan, Colo., and gusts to 55 m.p.h. swept Joplin, Mo.