Storm Whips Rockies, Rushes Toward Plains

A fast-moving storm blew through the northern Rockies and headed for the Plains on Friday with high winds and snow, weather officials said.

Snow was reported across parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and western Wyoming. Eight inches of snow was on the ground at Lolo and Hamilton in Montana, the National Weather Service reported.

In Wyoming, strong winds and blowing snow closed 240 miles of Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Evanston. Winds gusted to 55 m.p.h. near Casper. In western Wyoming, eight inches of snow was reported at Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park.

The Idaho Transportation Department reported that U.S. 20 was closed between Mountain Home and Fairfield because of blowing and drifting snow.

The Pomerelle Resort south and east of Albion, Ida., was closed Friday. Officials said only one inch of snow had fallen in a two-day period, but the wind whipped it into drifts that blocked the highway leading to the resort. After six years of drought, the resort had 173 inches of snow at peak points Friday.

Strong winds also blew across Utah mountains, with gusts to 91 m.p.h. at Mt. Ogden and 80 m.p.h. at Alta.

The low-pressure system producing the wind and snow was expected to move onto the northern Plains and the upper Mississippi Valley today. Winter storm watches were in effect for northeastern South Dakota and southern, central and northeastern Minnesota.

Elsewhere, floodwaters rose Friday in some areas of southern Louisiana that were swamped by more than 10 inches of rain that fell in a few hours Wednesday, damaging hundreds of homes and forcing scores of residents to head for higher ground.

At least 250 homes in Lafayette had major water damage from the downpour, and early estimates placed the damage at $1 million, officials said.

“This is the worst we’ve had since the 1940 flood,” said Walter Comeaux, president of the Lafayette Parish Council. “Many of the people whose homes were flooded had lived there for 25 years and had never gone under.”

Gov. Edwin W. Edwards declared a state of emergency in Lafayette, Vermilion and St. Martin parishes and sent in National Guard members to help.