Blizzard in U.S. Northern Plains to head
east, ease grip
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[December 27, 2016]
(Reuters) - A winter storm that
threatened the U.S. Northern Great Plains with icy roads, power outages
and high winds is expected to ease its grip late on Monday as it moves
east into the Great Lakes and New England, forecasters said.
The storm is forecast to bring a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain
across parts of northern New England overnight, the National Weather
Service (NWS) said.
"Farther south, rain and a few thunderstorms are possible
along and ahead of the cold front from the Ohio valley to the lower
Mississippi valley and the Southeast tonight and Tuesday," it said.
Even as the storm's grip weakened, authorities in North Dakota, where
the front had dumped up to 18 inches (46 cm) of snow, urged travelers in
much of the state to stay home because of hazardous conditions.
The NWS reported 19,000 homes or businesses without power in South
Dakota, and Montana-Dakota Utilities Co said almost two dozen areas were
without electricity. Service in some areas was not expected to be
restored for days.
More than 260 flights were delayed or canceled at the Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport, and highways across much of Minnesota were
covered or partly covered with snow and ice, according to state
transportation officials.
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The storm also shut some highways in South Dakota, with snow and low
visibility cutting speeds on Interstate 90, the state Department of
Transportation said.
The NWS reported wind speeds of more than 60 miles per hour (100
kph) in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota as the storm moved
through.
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Elsewhere, another weather system was expected to move into the
Pacific Northwest late on Monday, bringing rain and mountain snow to
the Cascades and the region's interior, the weather service said.
Temperatures would be above average across most of the central and
eastern United States on Tuesday. East Coast afternoon temperatures
were forecast to be 10 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 14 degrees
Celsius) above average.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco, Daniel Trotta in New
York and Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and
Paul Tait)
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