Midwest Storm Threatens East With Flooding
A storm with near-blizzard conditions hit the upper Midwest on Wednesday and forecasters said the same storm would pump warm air and heavy rain up the East Coast later in the week, bringing a threat of flooding from melting snow.
“This is a major winter storm, the biggest the northern Plains and upper Midwest have seen this season,” said Mike Palmerino of Weather Services Corp.
Ahead of the storm, mild winds blowing across a frozen, snow-covered landscape generated heavy fog that snarled air traffic, with more than 100 flights canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Air travel problems were also reported in Milwaukee and other cities. Fog was blamed for a 30-car pileup on Interstate 43 north of Milwaukee, where eight people were injured.
A United Airlines flight from Chicago to Omaha was struck by lightning in a rare January thunderstorm but the plane safely returned to Chicago.
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