Pedestrians shovel a sidewalk during the season's first snowstorm Friday, Dec. 1, 2006, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Posted on 12/01/2006 11:51:59 AM PST by NormsRevenge
CHICAGO - The season's first major snowstorm marched across the Plains and Midwest on Friday, slopping up highways, shuttering schools and knocking out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses.
A plane slid off a runway in Chicago, and at least three deaths were blamed on the storm, which was moving northwest through Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin on a path to Canada.
Fifteen inches of snow was reported in Peru, 80 miles west of Chicago, and Kenosha, Wis., had more than 16 inches.
Charles Parker, 38, happily operated his snow blower in Milwaukee.
"I just got this baby and I've been waiting to break it in," he said. "From the looks of things, it'll get a lot of use."
In Missouri, Holly Foster said she was the only employee who had made it in to Gov. Matt Blunt's office by 8 a.m.
"My husband loves a challenge," she said.
The wintry system struck Thursday from Texas to Michigan, forcing the closure of thousands of schools, colleges and universities and state offices. Snow had moved mostly into Michigan and eastern Wisconsin by early afternoon, leaving behind downed power lines and icy roads and runways.
About 2.4 million customers across central and southern Illinois and parts of Missouri were without power early Friday after ice snapped tree limbs and power lines. St. Louis officials opened five warm-up centers, and utility officials warned that it would be days before all customers have electricity again.
"A lot of people are going to have to leave their homes," said Ron Zdellar, Ameren Corp.'s vice president.
A Fed Ex cargo plane arriving Friday morning at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport slipped off the runway into mud, and crews were working to tow it away. By noon, more than 450 flights were canceled there alone.
Three traffic deaths were reported Thursday, including two in Missouri.
The weather delayed state high school football playoffs in Oklahoma, where snowfall ranged up to a foot.
A gust of up to 50 miles an hour toppled a tree onto a mobile home in Greencastle, Ind., 40 miles west of Indianapolis.
Jennifer Stark with the National Weather Service in Topeka, Kan., said the storm seemed especially impressive because of the unseasonably mild weather that came before it. Temperatures in some places had reached record highs earlier in the week.
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Associated Press writers Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Mo., and Rochelle Hines in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
On the Net:
Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com
National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov
Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com
Pedestrians shovel a sidewalk during the season's first snowstorm Friday, Dec. 1, 2006, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Cindy Entringer uses a snowblower to clear her driveway during the season's first snowstorm Friday, Dec. 1, 2006, in Wauwatosa, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
A van sits in a ditch along the street during the season's first snowstorm Friday, Dec. 1, 2006, in Brookfield, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
I'm in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and I stayed home from work today (thank goodness I had a few extra vacation days). It just wasn't worth the bother.
This is excellent news for individuals to evaluate their emergency preparedness state. Hopefully all will learn lessons from this. And quit whining - "Where is the government to give me stuff!!!" - of course.
Mid-Missouri got plenty (maybe as much as 10 inches; drifts to maybe
a 18 to 24 inches deep).
All of the six major state highways that radiate out of Jefferson City
were marked "impassible" as of 9AM.
Interstate 70 was even shut down for most of it's western half in MO.
It was a true snow/sleet storm for sure.
Steve Peterson scraps ice from the windows of his vehicle Thursday afternoon, Nov. 30, 2006, in Joplin, Mo. Peterson and other southwest Missouri residents were dealing with the first winter storm of the season that was forecast to dump up to 10 inches of snow on the region. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
I want my FEMA travel trailer.
Thank God for logs, beer and my Laptop with battery and Sprint Broadband card...
It sure looks like it sucks up there :-)
P.S. - It's now 72 degrees in Washington D.C. - I love it!!! Went out for a 24 mile bike ride earlier today...
Yup - and it'll barely receive a mention on the MSM until it hits the East coast. THEN IT'LL SUDDENLY BECOME THE STORM TO END ALL STORMS!!
I'm waiting for liberal's shrill cries of "racism" because President Bush hasn't visited the snow yet.
Women, children, minorities and the poor hit hardest.
For another weather/climate story not making it onto the MSM radar:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1746788/posts
Oh, who am I kidding? It's being suppressed because Al Gore wouldn't
like any MSM outlet brave enough to print it.
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