WEATHER TURNS DEADLY IN MIDWEST
A snowplow clears a road in Waupun, Wis., on Thursday as Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency. Four people died as blizzard conditions were reported from Kansas to Wisconsin.
Fierce winds and snow smashed through the Midwest on Thursday, part of a weather system that has killed at least four and is setting the stage for miserable commuting and holiday travel through the heart of the nation.
The winter-like weather didn’t wait for Friday’s official start of the season with blizzard conditions reported in a wide swath from Kansas to Wisconsin as the storm trudged across the Great Lakes and headed to Canada. Across the South, high winds generated by the same storm system caused tornado damage and warnings in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“A powerful system continues to bring significant, widespread impacts in the form of blizzard conditions, severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and fire weather conditions to the central United States,” the agency warned.
In Iowa, drivers were blinded by blowing snow and didn’t see vehicles that had slowed or stopped on Interstate 35 about 60 miles north of Des Moines, according to state police. Vehicles banged into one another, piling up and forcing a section of the road to be closed. At least one person was killed.
Wisconsin declared a state of emergency to make preparations easier.
“I issued this executive order to make sure Wisconsin is prepared for whatever this winter storm may bring,” Gov. Scott Walker said in a statement. “Mobilizing our state agency resources during this storm will ensure we leave nothing to chance when it comes to protecting the citizens of Wisconsin.”
A winter storm warning was issued for the Chicago area, and the National Weather Service predicted that winds up to 60 mph would hit later Thursday. Such deadly winds are certain to swirl the 3 to 7 inches of expected snow, leading to commuting problems.
The storm was also expected to hinder Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest.
Airlines delayed or canceled hundreds of flights out of O’Hare and Midway international airports.
Southwest Airlines, which has a hub at Midway, canceled all of its f lights after 4:30 p.m.
Tens of thousands of people lost power in Arkansas, Iowa and Nebraska, and smaller outages were reported in Alabama, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Louisiana.
The storm system began forming in the West earlier this week, blanketing the Rockies.
Then it moved east, bringing misery along its route.
Nearly a foot of snow was reported in Iowa overnight with winds of more than 50 mph. Heavy snows were predicted from Missouri to Milwaukee, according to the weather service.
Poor visibility was expected and officials closed parts of Interstate 29 in Missouri and Interstate 80 in Nebraska.
In southeastern Wisconsin, officials said, conditions led to at least two fatalities late Wednesday when a driver lost control of his car on a road about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.
In southeastern Utah, a woman who tried to walk for help after her car became stuck in snow died Tuesday night. Search-and-rescue crews on snowmobiles found her buried in the snow.