Yikes! Killer Snow Storms!

[3113]

Elaborating this time from the "Thundersnow" thread....Yikes. Is everyone in these places safe, cozy and warm?

MILWAUKEE - Highways were hazardous for holiday travelers Sunday and thousands of homes and businesses had no electricity in the Midwest as a storm blustered through the region with heavy snow and howling wind.

At least 11 deaths had been blamed on the storm.

Winter storm warnings were posted for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan on Sunday as the core of the storm headed north across the Great Lakes. Parts of Wisconsin already had a foot of snow, and up to a foot was forecast Sunday in northeastern Minnesota, the National Weather Service said. Radar showed snow falling across much of Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota on Sunday and moving into parts of Michigan and Indiana. "Everything is just an ice rink out there," said Sgt. Steve Selby with the sheriff's department in Rock County, Wis.

The weather system also spread locally heavy rain on Sunday from the Southeast to the lower Great Lakes. The storm rolled through Colorado and Wyoming on Friday, then spread snow and ice on Saturday from the Texas Panhandle to Minnesota. Multi-car pileups closed parts of several major highways Saturday in the Plains states. The area of Madison, Wis., got three to four hours of freezing rain early Sunday, said weather service meteorologist intern Bill Borghoff at Sullivan. The combination of icy pavement and gusty wind made driving treacherous, he said.

"It's quite a mess out there," Borghoff said.

Wind gusting to more than 50 mph uprooted trees in parts of Michigan. "I can see the snow moving basically sideways," meteorologist Wayne Hoepner said in Grand Rapids. Winds were recorded blowing as fast as 88 mph over Lake Michigan with gusts of 50 to 68 mph across the Chicago region, according to the National Weather Service. Because of the wind, airlines canceled more than 300 flights Sunday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the city Aviation Department said. Municipal officials said the wind had knocked out nearly 170 traffic signals, and there were more than 500 reports of fallen trees and limbs.

More than 11,000 homes and businesses were without power at some point Saturday in Wisconsin because of the freezing rain, ice, gusty wind and heavy snow, utilities said. Michigan utilities reported some 74,500 customers were still without power Sunday night, and in Illinois about 24,000 customers were blacked out.

At least three people in Minnesota, three in Wyoming, three in Wisconsin and one person each in Texas and Kansas were killed in traffic accidents that authorities said stemmed from the storm. The fatality in Texas came in a chain-reaction pileup involving more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 40, police said. At least 16 people were taken to hospitals, Sgt. Michael Poston said. "We're not really sure how many cars, probably in excess of 40 cars and in excess of 20 semitrailers," Amarillo police Sgt. Greg Fisher said Sunday. Authorities believe the pileup, which shut down the highway for most of the day, was caused by near zero visibility in blowing snow and slippery pavement. Multi-vehicle wrecks on Saturday also temporarily blocked sections of I-70 in Kansas and I-29 in Missouri.

Many were holiday travelers, including families with small children not dressed for the weather, Sgt. Shawn McLeland said. Other drivers opened their own Christmas presents to provide warmer clothing for the children.

Gonna be one heck of a Xmas.

 

[Katyusha]

Elaborating this time from the "Thundersnow" thread....Yikes. Is everyone in these places safe, cozy and warm?


Gonna be one heck of a Xmas.

Not much snow here in Chicagoland but a HELL of a lot of wind. Damn. I swear my house is being battered by a hurricane. There are branches down all over the neighborhood (thankfully none from our trees...yet) and we've been having brown-outs since about 4 this morning.

Hope everyone else in the path of this storm is safe.

 

[Guest]

We're done with the latest - looks as if it's dumping all over you now.

Be safe, everyone.

 

[impressive]

Not much snow here in Chicagoland but a HELL of a lot of wind. Damn. I swear my house is being battered by a hurricane. There are branches down all over the neighborhood (thankfully none from our trees...yet) and we've been having brown-outs since about 4 this morning.

Hope everyone else in the path of this storm is safe.

We've got the high winds here, too (Pittsburgh area). Sounds like a train roaring around the house. So far, the power's not failed -- but a branch is bound to come down over a line eventually. At least the rain stopped. I'd still rather stay home by the fire.

 

[cantdog]

So far, so good in my neighborhood. High winds and lashing rain was what we had. Trees lost limbs, but our house held onto its power feed. The warm air and rain meant that great murderous chunks of ice came down off people's roofs.

The storm you speak of is a different one, which bids fair to come our way next, just about Christmas Day.

 

[fieryjen]

It was bad yesterday, and especially the day before, but now it's calmed a bit. Driving still sucks, and I'm not looking forward to the 2.5 h drive to get to the in-laws, but we'll be careful.

S is driving, he's better at this than I am. He grew up here, after all.

 

[cantdog]

If it gets slippery, leave the Interstate. Those things are polished smooth by the traffic volume, and ordinary roads are often safer in slippery conditions. Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Another storm is headed your way, just blasting off the Colorado Rockies.

This is going to be a serious winter, for sure.

 

[Noor]

more snow? how can that be possible? lol.

We have at least 18 inches still on the ground, probably more.

Seriously, this is how the weather was here in Minnesota back when I first moved up here. If it keeps up I might actually have to get some boots

 

[R. Richard]

Another storm is headed your way, just blasting off the Colorado Rockies.

This is going to be a serious winter, for sure.

Just another effect of global warming, I'm sure.

 

[Guest]

Just another effect of global warming, I'm sure.

Welll, no comment there, but it is certainly more snow than we've had in Kansas for a long time.

We still have half a foot left on the ground from the nine inches or so that we got last Saturday. They're predicting another five inches tomorrow, and then snow next week, too.

It's just amazing.

(I'm from Michigan - this is normal upper Michigan weather - not normal for the plains.)

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Welll, no comment there, but it is certainly more snow than we've had in Kansas for a long time.

We still have half a foot left on the ground from the nine inches or so that we got last Saturday. They're predicting another five inches tomorrow, and then snow next week, too.

It's just amazing.

(I'm from Michigan - this is normal upper Michigan weather - not normal for the plains.)

My husband was in Kansas last night. He was griping because it was snowing. He said it was snowing the last time he was there too!

 

[Guest]

My husband was in Kansas last night. He was griping because it was snowing. He said it was snowing the last time he was there too!

Not normal, I assure you!

 

[The_Fool]

Gonna snow again tonight too.