Blizzard that socked Plains takes aim at Midwest

[January 13, 2009]  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Residents in the Northern Plains bundled up as a blast of cold air followed on the heels of a fast-moving blizzard, while the Midwest was the latest target of the one-two winter punch.

Wind chill warnings were forecast for much of Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. Temperatures could plummet to up to 35 below zero in some places Tuesday.

The snowstorm was swirling over the Midwest and airlines prepared for blizzard-like conditions by canceling more than 300 flights from Chicago's two airports.

At least two-thirds of Ohio was under a winter weather advisory as residents brace for more snow, wind and even colder temperatures.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until Tuesday evening for northern Indiana. Wind gusts up to 40 mph were predicted.

The weather service is forecasting 5 to 11 inches of new snow in Detroit from Tuesday through Thursday and says temperatures will rapidly plunge during the day Tuesday from about 29 to about 6 degrees. By early Tuesday, more than an inch of snow had fallen in places, leaving roads slippery for the morning rush hour.

A winter storm watch was posted for the western half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Near-blizzard conditions could develop near the Lake Michigan shoreline.

In North Dakota, a frigid digging out was in the cards. The Minot area got 6 inches of snow, on top of about a foot late last week, while Bismarck picked up another 4 inches. Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks all broke snow records for December, each with more than 30 inches.

The National Weather Service reported between 2 and 4 inches of snow in central and western Iowa, bringing totals since the weekend to nearly a foot in some places.

"The big concern is the winds are starting to increase and that will decrease visibility because of the fresh snowfall," said Brad Fillbach of the National Weather Service in Des Moines.

Temperatures by early Tuesday were forecast to hover around 12 below zero in northern Iowa, with wind chills of 30 below.

Wind chill indexes of 25 below to 35 below zero were expected through Tuesday morning for much of central and southern Minnesota, extending into western Wisconsin.

"It's like a sea of whiteness; people can't see the road," said Rebecca Arndt, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation in Mankato, Minn. "When the white fluffy stuff starts to blow, it is not pretty."

Later in the week the blizzard and cold front were to smack the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and South. Residents in the Atlanta area could see temperatures in the high teens, and in Maine, where overnight lows early Monday dipped to as low as minus 22, even colder weather was in the offing by Thursday.

[Associated Press; By JAMES MacPHERSON]

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