December 29, 2008
By Corey Williams
AP
Photo: With one light pole already down, a second teeters on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. (AP / The Detroit News)
DETROIT — Utilities in Michigan scrambled Monday to restore power knocked out by a gusty weekend storm as rain and melting snow caused flooding there and in other parts of the Midwest.
About 162,000 customers were without electricity in Michigan, down from more than 400,000 on Sunday, according to the state's utilities. Some could remain without power until Wednesday because of Sunday's storm, which carried winds gusting more than 60 mph.
Nearly 60,000 customers from central New York to Buffalo also lost power Sunday as wind gusts as high as 75 mph brought down trees and utility poles there. About 4,400 New York utility customers remained without power Monday.
Flood warnings were posted throughout the Midwest as temperatures rose after a week of heavy snowfall. Forecasters said flooding was possible in areas of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and northwest Ohio.
In Michigan, roads in some Ottawa County subdivisions were under 2 to 3 feet of water, while the first floors of some homes were flooded, National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Walton said.
Water overran banks in many areas of Illinois but had created only minor headaches by Monday afternoon — a precautionary nursing home evacuation in Ottawa, Ill., and a few scattered rural roads closed. More flooding was predicted later in the week.
Photo: The Parshallburg Bridge succumbed to the relentless pressure of water and ice on Sunday, Dec. 28, in Chesaning, Mich. The bridge on the National Register of Historic Places slid into the river, where it floated about 20 yards downstream. (By Michael Hollenbeck, AP)
In southeastern Wisconsin, the National Weather Service predicted the Fox River would crest about a foot over flood stage Tuesday in the town of Wheatland. In northwest Missouri, the Grand River reached nearly 9 feet above flood stage in places over the weekend.
Winter storm warnings were issued throughout the Northwest, which has been hammered by storms in recent weeks. The National Weather Service said northeastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle could expect 3 to 7 inches of new snow in the valleys, and 6 to 10 inches in the mountains through Monday evening.
Photo: Susan Anderton of Crested Butte, Colo. shovels the snow from her fence and gate so she can leave her home. (AP)
Spokane, Wash., already had received upward of 51 inches of snow this month — more than it sees in a typical winter — but nearly 10 more inches were expected Monday, accompanied by winds that gusted to 35 mph.
Roads were so clogged in the city that Spokane police asked semi-truck drivers to use chains after several trucks became stuck in giant snowbanks. Black ice was also causing many accidents on Interstate 90, officials said.
There were several roof collapses in the Spokane area, as well as incidents involving natural gas leaks where snow or ice fell and sheared off gas meters. Southwest Airlines canceled some flights at the Spokane airport, and other airlines reported delays.
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