The Associated Press, Alex Johnson of msnbc.com, Bill Karins and Mark Ressler of NBC Weather Channel and the following NBC stations contributed to this report: KHQ of Spokane, Wash.; KING of Seattle; KNBC of Los Angeles; KNDU of Kennewick, Wash.; KVTZ of Bend, Ore.; KWWL of Waterloo, Iowa; WEEK of Peoria, Ill.; WGEM of Quincy, Ill.; WGRZ
December 20, 2008
MSNBC and NBC News
Snow and biting cold weather was in store for much of the country again Saturday as tens of thousands took stock after wintry storms left their mark overnight.
Photo: John Notebaart is coated in snow and ice while snow blowing his driveway yesterday in Appleton, Wis. Hundreds of school districts canceled classes including the state's largest Milwaukee Public Schools and its 85,000 students. (AP / Dan Powers)
Around three to five inches of snow was expected over much of the Midwest, with the possibility of more in some areas. Winds were expected to be strong, and blizzard watches and warnings were issued for parts of South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The Weather Channel also forecast nasty weather for the Northwest. A winter storm warning remained in effect for Seattle and Portland, with blizzard conditions predicted for the Cascades and Olympics.
Seattle is expected to get another 5-8 inches of snow, with a foot in surrounding areas Saturday through Sunday morning.
New York City and Boston were due to receive a wintry mix of snow and sleet Saturday and into Sunday, according to the Weather Channel.
This cold and stormy weather follows Friday's blast of freezing rain and biting wind, which cut power to tens of thousands of customers, disrupted travel and gave schoolchildren from Iowa to New England an early start on their holiday break.
"One thing about it, you're going to have a white Christmas this year," said Lee Longdyke, as he shoveled a sidewalk in Pontiac, Mich., for the third time Friday morning.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
Hundreds of flights were canceled in Northeast and the Midwest, including about 300 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, where three-hour delays were reported. Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee remained closed early Friday evening because snow plows on the runways could not keep up.
Flight delays stretched as long as 5-1/2 hours at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, 3-1/2 hours at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and 2-1/2 hours at Philadelphia International Airport. All departures headed for JFK were grounded until 4:30 p.m. ET, while departures to Newark were halted until 5 p.m. ET.
Runways at Milwaukee's airport were closed for much of Friday morning because snowplows could not keep up with "whiteout conditions," airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe said.
Photo: An airport worker watches as a plane pulls away from the gate after de-icincg before it departs Manchester Airport, as the snow storm intensifies Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 in Manchester, N.H. (AP /Mary Schwalm)
Sharon Schipper was fuming after her flight out of Orlando International Airport was canceled, shelved by snow elsewhere even as the weather outside was 74 degrees and sunny.
“It's my grandson's first birthday, and I'm going to be late for his party,” Schipper said. “I'm not very happy at all.”
Snowfall affected a large region, but the worst of the ice storm - and resulting power outages - was in a band across northern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Power companies reported 60,000 customers in Illinois without service Friday, more than 35,000 in Ohio, and a whopping 180,000 in Indiana, where the area around Fort Wayne was particularly hard-hit.
'SERIOUS ISSUES'
"When you combine ice, which is an electric utility's nightmare, with wind, you've got some serious issues," said Indiana Michigan Power spokesman Mark Brian.
Branches weighed down by the ice came crashing down on Patricia Morris' home in Peoria, Ill.
“Oh, my God. It was crack, boom, bam all night long,” Morris said. “I wasn't able to see the street. We weren't able to sleep. It sounded, like, worse than thunder and lightning.”
A foot or more of snow fell in parts of Michigan, and some areas reported wind gusts of up to 25 to 30 mph. Nearly 8 inches of snow had fallen in Detroit by midafternoon.
Schools were closed across the region. The Toledo Zoo was forced to cancel its holiday season light show for Friday evening.
"I thought I had enough on," said Gloria D'Arce, 29, as she tried to keep out of the wind while waiting for a light to change. "But this is coming sideways, right in my face. I'm, like, two blocks from my car and I feel like I'm not going to make it."
Photo: A man waits for the bus in the snow December 19 in Detroit, Michigan. A major snow storm moved east across the US and dumped at least a foot of snow on some areas. (Getty /Spencer Platt)
In New Hampshire, several thousand homes and businesses were still in the dark more than a week after last week's storm. As authorities prepared for the new storm, Gov. John Lynch said the state hoped to get utilities to improve their communication with customers in the future.
"I certainly understand that people in New Hampshire are cold, they're tired, and in many cases they're frustrated, especially with Christmas coming," Lynch said.
On Wednesday and Thursday, wintry weather had made life miserable in parts of the West. A record December snowfall of 3.6 inches was recorded in Las Vegas, while in Spokane, Wash., nearly 2 feet of snow fell and more was in the forecast for this weekend.
Downtown Seattle remained a maze of closed, icy streets. Traffic was gridlocked on some state highways, bus stops were crammed with people, and cabs were scarce.
In one of the most dramatic incidents, two tour buses collided and were dangling off a bridge over Interstate 5 on Friday afternoon.
Eleven people were treated for minor injuries after the approximately 75 passengers were rescued from the two buses, which were taking participants in a jobs program in central Washington to visit their families in Seattle. Most of those on board were 15 to 24 years old.
“We were going down the hill, and the hill was very icy, and the driver tried to turn, and we ran into the other bus, and it knocked it … into the guardrails, and the windows in our bus just shattered,” said Nicole Maxie, a passenger on one of the buses, both of which were still hanging off the bridge Friday afternoon.
“Everybody was just screaming, crying. Everybody had to climb out the emergency windows,” Maxie said.
Photo: An ambulance rests on its side after rolling over in heavy snow in El Mirage, Calif. (Zuma Press / Eric Reed)
SNOW BLOWER BONANZA
While the storm caused chaos for many, some merchants welcomed it with open arms.
At Middleton Power Center in Middleton, Wis., snow blower sales were “through the roof,” said Duane Nolden, a sales director. “We're out of some models.”
“It's been busy all day along - a lot of urgency to shop,” said Denny Hartogh, manager of a Hy-Vee supermarket in Dubuque, Iowa, where a storm of shoppers descended for supplies.
And at City True Value Hardware in Bristol, Conn., people were streaming in for repairs on their broken snow blowers.
“As tight as money's been with the economy, it's a boost for us,” said Joe Englert, the shop's owner.
For much of the northern tier of the country, there was little prospect of a respite as new storm systems promised to drop several inches of new snow in the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest over the weekend.
On Sunday, the storm will head through the Great Lakes into the Northeast. Some lake effect snow was expected, as well.
Yet another system was bearing down on the Pacific Northwest, bringing arctic air over the Cascade Mountains and temperatures well below freezing. As much as 8 inches of new snow was expected in Oregon and Washington, adding up to total accumulation on the ground above a foot in many lower elevations.
Photo: Residents of Aberdeen, S.D., found near whiteout conditions and plenty of snow drifts as a blizzard hit the area Sunday Dec. 14, 2008. (AP / Aberdeen American News, John Davis.)
'DUMBEST CRIMINALS'
The snow wasn't all bad news, however.
In Richland, in eastern Washington, police arrested two men on charges of vandalism, accusing them of breaking windows and slashing tires on several cars in the city. Because of the snow, they left a trail of footprints that was easy to follow, police said.
“I would imagine it would be one of those dumbest criminals, leaving a trail of crumbs after they stole the cookies,” said a neighbor of one of the victims, who gave her name only as Lori.
Richland police Capt. Mike Cobb was more polite.
“A lot of times, people just aren't aware that they're leaving evidence behind them,” he said.