Posted on 12/01/2007 4:42:42 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ―- Snow and ice plastered a wide area of the Midwest on Saturday, disrupting campaigning by presidential hopefuls, making highways hazardous and closing Des Moines' airport.
The National Weather Service posted winter storm and ice warnings across parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the eastern Dakotas, Illinois and northern Michigan, although some warnings were lifted by midday. Six to 16 inches of snow was forecast in parts of Minnesota.
Much of Iowa was hit by snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Officials decided to close Des Moines International Airport after a United Airlines plane slid off a taxiway as it was heading to a runway for a flight to Chicago's O'Hare, said airport spokesman Roy Criss. He said none of the 44 passengers was injured.
The airport reopened by mid-afternoon. "We've had some cancellations but quite a few flights are gearing up - they're late but there going to be taking off," Criss said.
More than 150 flight cancellations were reported at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, said Gregg Cunningham, a spokesman for Chicago's Department of Aviation. "Low visibility right now is the leading factor in the delays we're seeing," he said.
Dozens of flights were also canceled at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee and at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wis.
An incoming Mesa Airlines regional jet flying for United Express slid off the pavement after failing to make a turn onto a taxiway at Dane County airport Saturday, but no injuries were reported among the 25 passengers, said United Airlines spokesman Jeff Vick.
The storm also complicated plans for some presidential hopefuls drumming up support for the Jan. 3 caucuses that kick off the nomination process.
Republican Mitt Romney canceled three campaign stops planned Saturday in southern Iowa, and former President Clinton canceled a rally for his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, scheduled Saturday afternoon outside Des Moines.
Heavy ice accumulations on power lines blacked out more than 2,000 customers scattered around Iowa, said representatives of for Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy. In west-central Illinois, about 20,000 Ameren customers reported power outages around Galesburg, utility spokesman Leigh Morris said.
Numerous accidents were reported on Iowa highways, said Transportation Department spokeswoman Dena Gray-Fisher.
Many travelers checked into motels to wait out the storm in the northern Iowa city of Clear Lake, but Lake Country Inn manager Linda Lorenz said she was surprised by the numbers of vehicles that stayed on the highways.
"They're still going," Lorenz said. "I don't know why they aren't home, I'm not leaving."
To the south in Osceola, icy conditions kept all but a few people off the roads, said Pam Sorensen, manager of a Kum & Go gas station and convenience store.
By early afternoon, Sorensen had gotten fewer than 50 customers. "I usually have that in half an hour, so it's really slow," she said.
Freezing rain coated Illinois highways with ice, causing spinouts and accidents, weather officials said. Ice was about a quarter-inch thick in parts of central Illinois, said weather service meteorologist Dan Kelly.
Many parts of Minnesota reported difficult driving conditions by early afternoon, the state Department of Transportation reported. Snow mixed with sleet along the Interstate 90 corridor across the southern edge of the state and visibility was down a quarter-mile in places.
Snow and blowing snow with wind of 20 to 25 mph reduced visibility in southeastern South Dakota and brought cancellations of regular weekend activities such as YMCA basketball, church practices, high school athletics and community events. One Sioux Falls television station had posted 43 event cancellations and postponements on its Web site by noon.
The weather also caused the search for two missing Illinois women to be called off after four hours of searching Saturday. More than 200 people scoured parts of Romeoville for Stacy Peterson, 23, who disappeared over a month ago from her Bolingbrook home, and 38-year-old Lisa Stebic, of Plainfield, who was reported missing in April.
Too bad. We could have used another narcisistic gaffe from BJ just to keep the narrative going. He could have told us how he advised her in the hostage situation with which they had nothing to do and no real role in.
You people need some Global Warming that’s what you need.
Freezing rain here in southern Michigan right now. The money I spent to remove several trees this summer was worth the peace of mind.
In Fairbanks it sits at five degrees more or less day after day and half a foot of snow that might well be it for the winter and will still be there in April when it might still be five degrees.
‘swhy I took my Yankee money and came south...
Between my driveway and Mom’s, I wore out two shovels and my back. About eight inche so far and now it’s a snow/sleet mix.......
Going to hit here as a big Nor’easter starting tomorrow afternoon - we’re looking at 8+” in upstate NY
Snow and ice here in Green Bay. (Cue “Frozen Tundra” NFL Films voice...)
“‘swhy I took my Yankee money and came south...”
I was just thinking that most in THIS part of the Midwest call that part NORTH!
That said, winter weather stinks.
We’re getting freezing rain right now. Nearly fell on my arse checking out the Christmas lights.
former President Clinton canceled a rally for his wife
—
And here’s how things will go if Hillary even gets close to the White House. What else will he cancel in her name, or promote, as First Laddy?
I lost three trees in that wind storm a few weeks back. I should have had a whole line of my Jack pines removed... kinda nervous since the house is parachuted in.
It grounded the HildeBreast broomstick.. cooool.
Let it snow...Let it snow...Let it snow!
I did 3 1/2 yrs in ND one time. Loved the people--hated the weather.
Not only does it get and stay cold there for months, they can have 100+ days, too---and there's no air-conditioning in most of the homes.
Several inches of snow already, with more on the way.
White Christmas, anyone?
You see that she got booed for her anwser on illegal immigrants at some teleconference in Iowa.
The moonbats were really angry at her.
Is the Prophet Al Gore available for comment?
I remember when I lived in Dallas as a kid... it snowed on Christmas, enough to make snowballs and snowmen. We were swimming in the pool later that day.
Are you a Connecticut Yankee? I’m one who moved to sunny Florida in 69!:)
She’s a terrible campaigner, m, no matter what the minions and acolytes say, and they know it.
Bill could tell them all what they wanted to hear and make them believe it (how sad is that), but she can’t.
NOAA predicts 7-13” before tomorrow morning here in the Twin Cities. They seem to be on target this time - snowing all day and looks like no let up in sight.
Local weather report:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Light east wind.
Sunday: A slight chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southwest wind between 5 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 64. West wind between 10 and 18 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 30. West wind between 3 and 8 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 59.
Uh, of course this for Aiken, SC where the sun is usually shines and it hardly ever snows :)
It’s all Al Gore’s fault.
Two years ago I woke up at 4 AM with a big ole popalar tree in my bedroom and in January of this year I went a week without power because an ice storm brought a big willow down and took out my utility pole.
I had enough and called the tree service to come and get rid of 6 trees this summer.
My blood's too thin....living around Palm Springs, CA I think I'm summerized.
Yesterday it never hit 55, we had an inch of rain, and today it was windy and barely 60 -- and I've been eyeing the thermals I bought for the last Minnesota funeral trip.
Winter sucks....even here. I want my 'lectric blanky.
Yeah. Right. Give us another report in January. (I used to live 60 miles east of Fairbanks.)
Whalloped seems like such a strong word for the little bit of snow/ice we got today in Chicago.
I guess saying we got a bit of snow just doesn’t sell as many papers......
Ditto the tree stuff...this past summer we had our large Palo Verde (desert, needs virtually no water) tree severely pruned and thinned....good damned thing too, because given yesterday's local rain and today's severe followup wind...it'd be splintered or down by tonight.
(Desert trees can tend to go "knees down" if given too much water all of a sudden)
Long term weather forecast.
This Winter, it will be cold. It will warm up in the Spring and then turn much warmer this Summer. Then it will get cooler in the Fall.
Something is wrong. It should not be this cold.
Al Gore is deeply disappointed.
Wasilla's not much better. A high of 23, clear, and winds picking up throughout the next 24 hours, to 75mph gusts by tomorrow afternoon. But no snow.
I miss Fairbanks! I was at Eielson AFB for 4 years in the mid-80’s.
Central Illinois was a sheet of ice today - literally! Tough to walk, let alone drive. We’ve stayed in most of the day.
Thank you, but no thanks.
wow
Just like it’s hot in Georgia during the summer, it actually snows in the Midwwest during winter.
Thank goodness for the 24/7 News cycle...
Since the left can’t blame this on global warming, they’ll blame it on Bush.
Scraping ice off my car windshield in Fort Wayne.
Tonight’s forecast: Dark.
As a former Chicagoan, I feel your pain, Midwesterners.
Having said that, I’m enjoying 65 degrees as we speak with a forecast of sunny and 75 tomorrow (in the Dallas area).
Been in Texas going on 39 years and I ain’t leavin’!
Yes, I love snow! This year we had a White Easter. We got 15" and my son and I spent a good chunk of the day blowing out peoples' walks and driveways. Here's my picnic table during a lull in the Easter 2007 snow. We got the same amount for Valentine's Day.
What were in for?
Hear hear! Brother got the snowmobile out tonight. This has got to be the earliest he’s been able to do so in many years!
Thanks!
What were you in for? (You make it sound like you did time.)
In Leavenworth (County, not graybar hotel - thank you very much! ;-), I was curious whether the “midwest” included us or not - we saw 50-60 degrees today, with rain and some hefty winds.
It’s supposed to get pretty chilly tomorrow, though...
Might need a lot of seal and moose meat to survive the winter.:-)
Don't you mean Profit Al Gore?
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