Upper Plains States Blinded by Snowstorm

A winter storm blanketed parts of the northern Plains with more than a foot of snow Thursday.

“You couldn’t even see. Freezing rain, snow was blowing. It was just terrible,” said Melvin Walker, a truck driver who was forced to pull off the road and wait at a truck stop because of the conditions.

Many schools were closed, and authorities warned against traveling in several counties because of icy roads and poor visibility.

Snowfall was expected to be as high as 18 inches in the Black Hills of South Dakota and 14 inches in northeast Wyoming. Lead, S.D., had received more than a foot of snow Thursday morning.

About 6 inches of snow fell across northern Arizona early Thursday, clogging streets in Flagstaff and making driving hazardous.

In North Dakota, 8 inches of snow fell at Bowman and 5 at Bismarck, with wind gusting to more than 30 mph.

“We’re just holed up,” said Kent Kibbel of Mott, N.D. “We can’t even see out the window. It’s not even fit for a dog to be out.”

The blizzard brought thunder, lightning and hail, and came just a week after temperatures soared into the 70s in some parts of the state.

The storm also brought back memories of the blizzard of April 1997: more than 17 inches of snow coupled with freezing rain over a three-day period that led to the devastating flood in Grand Forks, N.D.

Grand Forks Mayor Pat Owens said officials were shoring up dikes and awaiting projections from the National Weather Service on the effect of the storm on the rising Red River.

Officials have said, however, that they do not expect a repeat of the disaster.

“I know our people are on top of everything at this point. I have asked them to over-prepare, and that’s what they are doing,” Owens said. “The adrenaline is flowing.”