Snowstorm sweeps across Midwest
Hundreds of flights grounded in Chicago; schools closed, roads a mess
MILWAUKEE - A major snowstorm lumbered across the Midwest on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of schools and businesses to close and grounding more than 1,000 flights as snow piled more than 20 inches deep in some areas.
Blustery winds created near-whiteout conditions in southern Wisconsin, where slick roads were blamed for two traffic deaths. Snowplow operators were called off the roads shortly before noon in Green County, highway Commissioner Dallas Cecil said.
"The winds are blowing so hard the guys can't see the front of their trucks," he said.
Just over 20 inches of snow fell in Saukville and 19 inches at Jackson, both north of Milwaukee.
Occasional brief periods of blizzard-like conditions developed along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Milwaukee to Kenosha as the snowfall picked up Wednesday, said meteorologist Rusty Kapela of the National Weather Service's Sullivan office.
Less snow fell in Missouri, with 6 inches in places, but it was enough to form ice on bridges and highway ramps. A 12-car pileup near Springfield closed Interstate 44 for about an hour.
"When those things freeze, they all go at the same time," said Earl Wallace, a spokesman for Missouri's highway department.
Schools and universities canceled classes in parts of Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, where up to 14 inches of snow fell north of Detroit. The Detroit area got a mix of rain, snow and sleet.
The storms also caused Walworth County court officials to cancel proceedings Wednesday in Mark Jensen's lengthy trial in Elkhorn, Wis. Jensen is accused of poisoning and suffocating his wife in 1998.
All flights were stopped at General Mitchell International Airport at Milwaukee, airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe said.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport canceled about 1,000 flights, said Gregg Cunningham, spokesman for the city's aviation department. Across the city at Midway Airport, there were 100 cancellations and delays on remaining flights of about two hours, Cunningham said.
'Coldest and snowiest'
In Iowa, the foot of snow that fell at Oskaloosa came on top of 12 inches that fell Sunday, making it nearly impossible for people to get around.
"It's a mess. Nobody is out too much and if they are they're getting stuck," said Wade Schneckler, 47, of Oskaloosa.
Brad Small, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, called this winter Iowa's "coldest and snowiest" since 2000-01. The harshness has led to shortages of road salt in many cities, including Tipton, in eastern Iowa.
Getting more will be difficult because a frozen Mississippi River has blocked barge traffic.
"You just got to roll with the punches," said Public Works Director Steve Nash. "We've got enough to last us for two or three weeks, but if this snow thing continues through March, then we could be in trouble."
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