Blizzard rocks US Midwest, East Coast braces
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Dec 13, 2010, 12:00:54 AM12/13/10
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Times and Climate Change
Blizzard rocks US Midwest, East Coast braces
Chicago (AFP) Dec 12, 2010 - A fierce early winter storm pounded several Midwestern states and was moving east on Sunday, shutting busy airports and highways and snarling travel across about half the United States. Blizzard warnings were issued for parts of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin as snow socked the states in tandem with wind gusts topping 45 miles (72 kilometers) per hour. The storm -- 10 days before the onset of winter -- took its greatest toll in Minnesota, where as much as two feet (61 centimeters) of snow had fallen in some locations, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The state's largest city Minneapolis was under a blanket of white 17 inches (43 cm) deep, the worst snowfall to hit the city in more than 19 years and the fifth-biggest on record. As an indicator of the storm's severity, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport -- a transit hub with expertise in contending with foul weather -- was shut down for the first time in years. "Travel conditions will remain hazardous and potentially dangerous," the NWS said in a weather bulletin. Snow also damaged the Metrodome, home of the Minnesota Vikings American football team, and led to the indefinite postponement of their game against the New York Giants. The stadium's inflatable roof sagged like a collapsed souffle when the snow's weight damaged some of the covering's teflon panels.
Roads in much of Wisconsin and Iowa have been closed or virtually impassible, and while snowfall was expected to let up later Sunday, temperatures were predicted to nosedive with wind chill readings well below zero (minus 18 degrees Celsius). "The Wisconsin Department of Transportation along with the State Patrol is advising motorists not to travel on any Wisconsin highway now through Sunday, unless absolutely necessary," the department alerted on its website. Snowfall was not due to be as deep in Chicago, but the Windy City was expected to live up to its nickname, with gusts stronger than 50 miles (80 km) per hour forecast. Flight delays were averaging about an hour at Chicago's O'Hare International, the world's third busiest airport, with minor delays at nearby Midway Airport. The storm was causing temperatures to plunge as far south as Atlanta and the system was expected to bring heavy rain or snow Sunday across the entire East Coast, from the northeast state of Maine clear down to southern Florida.
Blizzard rocks US Midwest, East Coast braces
Chicago (AFP) Dec 12, 2010 - A fierce early winter storm pounded several Midwestern states and was moving east on Sunday, shutting busy airports and highways and snarling travel across about half the United States. Blizzard warnings were issued for parts of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin as snow socked the states in tandem with wind gusts topping 45 miles (72 kilometers) per hour. The storm -- 10 days before the onset of winter -- took its greatest toll in Minnesota, where as much as two feet (61 centimeters) of snow had fallen in some locations, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The state's largest city Minneapolis was under a blanket of white 17 inches (43 cm) deep, the worst snowfall to hit the city in more than 19 years and the fifth-biggest on record. As an indicator of the storm's severity, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport -- a transit hub with expertise in contending with foul weather -- was shut down for the first time in years. "Travel conditions will remain hazardous and potentially dangerous," the NWS said in a weather bulletin. Snow also damaged the Metrodome, home of the Minnesota Vikings American football team, and led to the indefinite postponement of their game against the New York Giants. The stadium's inflatable roof sagged like a collapsed souffle when the snow's weight damaged some of the covering's teflon panels.
Roads in much of Wisconsin and Iowa have been closed or virtually impassible, and while snowfall was expected to let up later Sunday, temperatures were predicted to nosedive with wind chill readings well below zero (minus 18 degrees Celsius). "The Wisconsin Department of Transportation along with the State Patrol is advising motorists not to travel on any Wisconsin highway now through Sunday, unless absolutely necessary," the department alerted on its website. Snowfall was not due to be as deep in Chicago, but the Windy City was expected to live up to its nickname, with gusts stronger than 50 miles (80 km) per hour forecast. Flight delays were averaging about an hour at Chicago's O'Hare International, the world's third busiest airport, with minor delays at nearby Midway Airport. The storm was causing temperatures to plunge as far south as Atlanta and the system was expected to bring heavy rain or snow Sunday across the entire East Coast, from the northeast state of Maine clear down to southern Florida.
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