Winter Storm: West Blanketed With Snow, Ice Glazes Midwest

RENO, Nev. — Yet another snowstorm closed highways in parts of the West on Friday, the latest in a tiring week of bad weather, and a dangerous sheet of ice in parts of the Midwest contributed to a looming flood problem.

Winter storm warnings were in effect Friday for parts of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the western Dakotas, and a blizzard warning covered the mountains of southwest Colorado.

"It's going to be a heck of a storm," said Chris Cuoco, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Colo. "We're expecting significant snowfall in all the mountains of Colorado. Even the valleys are going to see 4-plus inches of snow."

Up to 20 inches of snow was forecast in parts of the Rockies, along with wind gusts of up to 80 mph.

The Utah Avalanche Center on Friday renewed its warning against travel in mountain backcountry, saying up to 3 feet of new snow in places, plus strong wind, had overloaded layers of very weak snow and raised the threat of avalanches.

A Utah avalanche killed two people earlier in the week, and a snow slide in California's Sierra Nevada killed one man Thursday.

In the Midwest, freezing rain glazed streets and highways in the Chicago area. The Eisenhower Expressway _ Interstate 290 _ was closed for a time because of the ice, and the village of Lemont blocked off all its major intersections.

The full length of the Indiana Toll Road, more than 150 miles, was shut down for about two hours Friday morning because it was "an entire sheet of ice" with numerous accidents, said state Trooper William Jones. Indiana also closed a 10-mile section of Interstate 69 just north of Fort Wayne.

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Seven Indiana traffic deaths were blamed on the ice Friday, adding to four weather-related deaths in that state earlier in the week. In Indianapolis, a fire engine slid head-on into a tree, sending four firefighters to a hospital with minor injuries.

Temperatures could reach the 50s and even 60s in the region Saturday, after subzero readings earlier in the week, and a possibility of 2 inches of rain was forecast in Indiana.

The National Weather Service issued flood watches for much of Illinois, saying "the potential exists for very serious and potentially life threatening flooding."

Utah officials shut down Interstate 84 at the Utah-Idaho state line Friday because of the weather, and some state roads were open only to vehicles with tire chains or four-wheel-drive. Colorado closed at least two mountain pass highways.

Heavy snow and whiteout conditions in the Sierra Nevada on Thursday led authorities to intermittently shut down Interstate 80, the busy main link between northern Nevada and Northern California. The mountains around Lake Tahoe received about 2 feet of snow, bringing totals at some resorts in the past two weeks to 10 feet.

"This is one of the snowiest Christmas holiday periods I can remember," said Kent Hoopingarner, general manager at Homewood Mountain Resort.

In eastern Washington, Spokane reached a snowfall total for the month of 46.2 inches, a record for December, said Laurie Nisbet of the weather service.

Farther west, the weight of snow, ice and water over the past week collapsed the roof of a high school in Olympia, Wash. There was severe water damage but no injuries, fire Lt. Ralph Dunbar said.

Snow and ice weren't the only problems. The weather service confirmed that it was two small tornadoes on Christmas Eve that caused scattered damage in Alabama.

Slippery roads and cold have been blamed for 11 deaths this week in Indiana; eight in Wisconsin; five in Ohio; four each in Kentucky, Michigan and Missouri; two in Kansas; and one apiece in Illinois, Oklahoma, Iowa, Massachusetts and West Virginia.

Comments

[AmandaBC]

50° Fahrenheit (10°C) --- Californians shiver uncontrollably, Canadians
plant gardens.

35° Fahrenheit (1.6°C) --- Italian cars won't start, Canadians drive
with the windows down.

32° Fahrenheit (0°C) --- American water freezes, Canadian water gets
thicker.

0° Fahrenheit (-17.9°C) --- New York City landlords finally turn on the
heat, Canadians have the last barbecue of the season.

-60° Fahrenheit (-51°C) --- Mt. St. Helens freezes, Canadians Girl
Guides sell cookies door to door.

-100° Fahrenheit (-73°C) --- Santa Claus abandons the North Pole, Ottawa
opens the Rideau canal for skating.

-173° Fahrenheit (-114°C) --- Ethyl alcohol freezes, Canadians get
frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.

-460° Fahrenheit (-273°C) --- Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops,
Canadians start saying, "cold, eh?"

-500° Fahrenheit (-295°C) --- Hell freezes over, Toronto Maple Leafs win
the Stanley Cup.

[txfriend]

As one comedian said " The border wall should be built between the US and Canada, because Canada's where all the cold air comes from"

[ignorantwillyharper]

Don't you know Gore is a little red in the face, right about now!

[LibKitty]

I know that you are showing your ignorance.

[fumes]

¿porque gato?

[KathyinCT]

Oh go do some reading. Global warming = more moisture in air = more snow and precip. I suppose you assumed if the temps were cold, that meant global warming was not happening.

D-uh.

[SinisterK9]

Funny how most people stopped referring to it as Global Warming, and have casually started sneaking the term Climate Change in it's place.

Regardless of your belief or non-belief in GW or CC I think many of us notice that it "seems" as though nearly every event involving the weather or climate these days is blamed solely on the forementioned scientific theories.

I am not discounting that mankind has an effect of some sort on the planet. But can't we all agree that sometimes we (humans) are not to blame for every single drop of rain, or hot and dry day, or hurricane, or tornado etc.

[atlantajoe]

Since the temps have cooled for the last 8 years I would say warming has stemmed.

[ProgressiveBum]

I've been snowed in for 2 weeks at a friend's in Bellingham, WA...it's getting old. Hopefully, the roads clear up a bit by New Years so we can get to another friend's hottub party.
Earlier this week cold eastern winds blew down the Cascades with 80mph gusts.

[stargazer13]

we have two people missing since last night and if any one can throw a prayer up for them it would be much appreciated on top of north west mountain in Colorado God will know who you mean 71 year old and 32 year old men I have prayed but fill so helpless so felt need to ask for more prayers .it,s I all I can do

so of course I am asking update while writing found one truck but man not inside not good sign was snowing and blowing for last two days now last nite was bad up here God how I wished he would have stayed with his truck well if you can put up some prayers you never know it could help it would not hurt

thanks to all who pray signed hoping in Colorado

[fumes]

done

[stargazer13]

up date we found both our men safe thank you all that was so fast thank you who ever you may be

[fumes]

beautiful

[wadenelson1]

done.

Wow, prayer answered before I even completed it.

[fumes]

on the count of three... everyone exhale... then the co2 given off should warm things up immediately, ya think?

[crablover]

I spoke with my sister in Salem, Oregon last night. They've had three feet of snow. Here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, we haven't seen a flake so far this winter. Strange things are happening!

[Exusian]

It's amazing how some people rediscover winter every year as if they'd never seen it before.

Kind of like gold fish in an aquarium:

"Oh look, a castle! .......

Oh look, a castle!"

[daedelus]

"Oh look, a snowstorm in Vegas!"

[Erdgeist]

Whoa! Where are the sun spots? Is another mini age about to arrive?

"In the past 1000 years, three previous such events -- the Dalton, Maunder, and Spörer Minimums, have all led to rapid cooling."

http://www.dailytech.com/Sun+Makes+History+First+Spotless+Month+in+a+Century/article12823.htm

[Stud99]

Thank god for global cooling. I love winter. And thank Jeep for 4 wheel drive.

[SammyD]

how's that global warming working for you?

[daedelus]

Not so good. It's causing all varieties of extreme weather, winter storms included.

[profounddogs]

This is a direct result of it, and it's not working for me, thanks.

[Garrett123]

Not very good, polar caps are still shrinking at an alarming rate, glaciers all around the world are still disappearing and it's snowing in places it shouldn't like Vegas.
Still smug?

[gd h]

And Los Angeles, and at really low altitudes in Arizona in an "off year" for snow...I repeat, how's that global warming denial working for you? Try reading a book or two while you're snowed in...

[fumes]

''...and it's snowing in places it shouldn't like Vegas.'' say garrett, if it's melting at the poles why shouldn't it be snowing elsewhere? water vapor is like that...

[Schvenzlerman]

I get it now: manmade CO2 produces global warming which reduces sunspot activity which produces global cooling! That explains why the Arctic ice cap was larger in Summer 2008 than in Summer 2007! That means that we should throw as much soot into the air to avoid the cooling, right?

Could someone please ask Al Gore to put the missing data on the left side of his hockey stick? While you're at it, please let him know that the $100 million he's made promoting the manmade-CO­2-produces­-Global-Wa­rming theory is probably enough.

[wadenelson1]

Warmer oceans mean more moisture in the air, and more snow in places like....Las Vegas.

Here in Colorado we're getting wetter, heavier snow than in years past. Not the "champagne powder" the resorts claim but more like the "Sierra Cement" of Tahoe area resorts.

How's that global warming denial working for you?

[Gumby123]

Sorry folks, we're not going to convince you it's Global Warming anymore, lets call it Global Climate change okay?

[hortonhearsawho2]

SouthTexas using A/C...yup.

[profounddogs]

Try warmer than normal in the south, yup.

[atlantajoe]

it's not warmer in the south, we are having the coldest December in 8 years.