Heavy Storms Plague Mountain, Plains States

Three weeks after the start of spring, winter sent the central and mountain states a memento Monday: heavy snow, severe thunderstorms and high winds.

Snow and rain fell across the Great Plains and the middle Mississippi River Valley, reaching as far south as the Texas Panhandle. Some areas recorded up to 2 feet of snow.

Freezing rain, sleet and hail disrupted electric-powered commuter rail transit in parts of the Chicago area. One downtown skyscraper rigged a rope across its icy, wind-swept plaza to give wobbly pedestrians a lifeline.

Denver reported near-zero visibility at times, with moderate snow, blowing snow and winds to nearly 40 m.p.h.

Near-blizzard conditions prevailed in western Nebraska.

There were eight inches of snow on the ground at Pierre, S.D., said Pam Dockter, a clerk at South Dakota’s Highway Patrol office.

“We have a sheet of ice under the snow, and it hasn’t stopped snowing since Saturday evening,” she said.

Iowa’s Department of Public Safety reported highways were ice-covered in central and western parts of the state, with spin-out vehicle accidents common.

More than 2 feet of snow fell in some of the mountains of eastern Wyoming and eastern Montana. Parts of eastern Colorado collected up to 20 inches.

“The further south (in Colorado) you go, the worse the conditions are,” said Kyle Fredin of the National Weather Service’s Denver office.

North winds behind a cold front blew across the Plains at 20 m.p.h. to 40 m.p.h., with gusts exceeding 50 m.p.h.

A foot of snow accumulated overnight in Lake Delton, Wis., and rain and sleet took over by midday.

“You would almost think it was Christmas,” said Capt. Bob Fawcett of the Lake Delton Police Department.