Wide Area of Midwest Hit by Deep Freeze : O’Hare Airport Snarled as Snow, Sleet, Rain Fall

Snow, sleet and rain dominated a wide area of the upper Plains and Midwest today with snow turning to rain and sleet in Chicago, where flights were canceled and delayed for a second day at the world’s busiest airport.

Frigid air prevailed along a cold front stretching from Minnesota to Texas, the National Weather Service said. At Minot, N.D., the wind-chill temperature was 44 below zero early today.

Snow and freezing drizzle made driving difficult across Wisconsin this morning, police said. Many cars were in ditches and three people were reported killed on state highways during the snow and drizzle Monday night.

“It’s been cold. My feet are freezing,” said James Dean, 26, who operates a tow truck in Plymouth, Wis. “I’ve been doing quite a bit of pulling out and all that stuff. They’re in ditches. They’re losing it, going for a ride.”

More Cold Expected

Temperatures were expected to drop across Wisconsin in the afternoon, changing the drizzle to snow.

A foot of snow blanketed the Chicago suburbs Monday, stranding hundreds of Christmas travelers at O’Hare Airport and causing highway accidents that killed at least three people. The snow turned to freezing rain and sleet by this morning.

The snow had forced United Airlines to cancel nearly all flights Monday. A spokesman said that between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. today, half of all United flights were canceled as the area’s biggest carrier scrambled to bring in equipment to keep the planes going.

A cold front extended from the upper Mississippi Valley through the upper Great Lakes into the middle Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains, weather officials said.

In the West, at Ely, Nev., the wind-chill factor was 55 below zero.

Thunderstorms were scattered ahead of this front from Missouri into Texas, producing nearly an inch of rain in some areas.

Snow and winds continued to blister the Northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley. A low pressure system over northeast Minnesota was the culprit behind the lingering snow and gusty winds.

The storm dropped a foot of snow on Minnesota in the north and covered southern roads with a sheet of rough ice. Driving conditions caused one traffic death Monday.

Freezing drizzle produced slick roads as temperatures climbed into the lower 30s in southern Minnesota during the night. Temperatures rapidly plunged by sunrise, dropping to midday highs around zero as the low pulled cold air into the region.

Temperatures were around zero across the Northern Plains. Wind-chill readings ranged from 20 degrees below zero to 40 below in North Dakota and parts of Minnesota.

The wintry weather was expected to move northeast into upper New England during the day.