February 11, 2009 5:40 PM
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Icy Storm Blankets Midwest, Heads East
The season's first big wintry storm blustered across the Midwest on Friday and closed in on the Northeast, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity, stranding airline passengers and burying streets in wet and heavy "heart attack snow."
The storm was blamed for at least five traffic deaths as it cut a swath from Texas to Michigan, spreading snow and freezing rain and closing schools and businesses.
The East Coast is expected to see rain and thundershowers and high winds by late Friday, with damaging gusts up to 55 mph as the cold front drew near.
In Chicago, where snow covered street signs and commuters walked gingerly along slushy streets, forecasters warned residents to be careful digging out of what they called "heart attack snow" — difficult to shovel because it is so heavy.
"My daughter had to help my husband dig out the yard so he wouldn't have a heart attack," said Judy Siddiqui, as she arrived at work from the suburb of Lombard, Ill.
Chicago received 6.2 inches of snow, and many areas of Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri got more than a foot. The waves on Lake Michigan looked like a hurricane, CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and put the National Guard on standby after snow and ice blanketed much of the state, knocking out power to thousands of residents and causing at least two deaths. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for 27 counties.
About 520,000 Ameren Corp. customers in Illinois and Missouri were without power early Friday after ice snapped power lines and tree limbs. Ron Zdellar, an Ameren vice president, said it would be days before all customers had electricity again.
"We know a lot of people are going to have to leave their homes, probably over the next few days," he said.
By the time it's done, a storm that first showed its punch Monday when it brought a rare snowfall to Seattle will have steamrolled its way 3,000 miles across the country, giving the cold shoulder to millions of Americans, Bowers reports.
The combination of sleet, rain and snow made driving treacherous. In Milwaukee, the slippery roads were too much for vehicle after vehicle — even a snowplow overturned.
Near Paducah, Texas, a sport-utility vehicle carrying a high school girls' basketball team slid on an icy patch and tipped over, killing a 14-year-old player and injuring six teammates and the coach. The tournament the Paducah High School team was headed to was canceled.
In Missouri, where two storm-related fatal accidents occurred Thursday, officials closed a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 70 for several hours Friday morning.
Icy roads were also a factor in two other traffic deaths, one in Kansas on Wednesday and one Thursday in Oklahoma.
Winds in the Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Vandalia knocked down power lines and tore siding and shingles off homes. Forecasters said gusts of up to 60 mph were possible, and high-wind warnings were issued for virtually the entire state.
At Chicago's O'Hare Airport, American Airlines canceled all its flights before noon Friday and United Airlines canceled at least 385 arrivals or departures before 2 p.m.
Nevertheless, the airport didn't look much different than it does on any other Friday afternoon, suggesting many travelers stayed home.
Mike Crabb of Orlando, Fla., was supposed to fly out of O'Hare after attending a Radiological Society of North America meeting. But he gave up and used his laptop computer to buy a one-way ticket out of Midway Airport.
"Right now you just got to do what you got to do," said Crabb, who was celebrating his 28th birthday. "I understand things like this happen."
Jennifer Stark with the National Weather Service in Topeka, Kan., said the storm seemed especially impressive because it had been preceded by unseasonably mild weather. Temperatures approached, and in some places eclipsed, record highs earlier in the week.
Forecasters say not to read too much into this early-season assault, reports Bowers. The outlook for the rest of winter is for above normal temperatures.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The storm was blamed for at least five traffic deaths as it cut a swath from Texas to Michigan, spreading snow and freezing rain and closing schools and businesses.
The East Coast is expected to see rain and thundershowers and high winds by late Friday, with damaging gusts up to 55 mph as the cold front drew near.
In Chicago, where snow covered street signs and commuters walked gingerly along slushy streets, forecasters warned residents to be careful digging out of what they called "heart attack snow" — difficult to shovel because it is so heavy.
"My daughter had to help my husband dig out the yard so he wouldn't have a heart attack," said Judy Siddiqui, as she arrived at work from the suburb of Lombard, Ill.
Chicago received 6.2 inches of snow, and many areas of Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri got more than a foot. The waves on Lake Michigan looked like a hurricane, CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and put the National Guard on standby after snow and ice blanketed much of the state, knocking out power to thousands of residents and causing at least two deaths. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for 27 counties.
About 520,000 Ameren Corp. customers in Illinois and Missouri were without power early Friday after ice snapped power lines and tree limbs. Ron Zdellar, an Ameren vice president, said it would be days before all customers had electricity again.
"We know a lot of people are going to have to leave their homes, probably over the next few days," he said.
By the time it's done, a storm that first showed its punch Monday when it brought a rare snowfall to Seattle will have steamrolled its way 3,000 miles across the country, giving the cold shoulder to millions of Americans, Bowers reports.
The combination of sleet, rain and snow made driving treacherous. In Milwaukee, the slippery roads were too much for vehicle after vehicle — even a snowplow overturned.
Near Paducah, Texas, a sport-utility vehicle carrying a high school girls' basketball team slid on an icy patch and tipped over, killing a 14-year-old player and injuring six teammates and the coach. The tournament the Paducah High School team was headed to was canceled.
In Missouri, where two storm-related fatal accidents occurred Thursday, officials closed a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 70 for several hours Friday morning.
Icy roads were also a factor in two other traffic deaths, one in Kansas on Wednesday and one Thursday in Oklahoma.
Winds in the Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Vandalia knocked down power lines and tore siding and shingles off homes. Forecasters said gusts of up to 60 mph were possible, and high-wind warnings were issued for virtually the entire state.
At Chicago's O'Hare Airport, American Airlines canceled all its flights before noon Friday and United Airlines canceled at least 385 arrivals or departures before 2 p.m.
Nevertheless, the airport didn't look much different than it does on any other Friday afternoon, suggesting many travelers stayed home.
Mike Crabb of Orlando, Fla., was supposed to fly out of O'Hare after attending a Radiological Society of North America meeting. But he gave up and used his laptop computer to buy a one-way ticket out of Midway Airport.
"Right now you just got to do what you got to do," said Crabb, who was celebrating his 28th birthday. "I understand things like this happen."
Jennifer Stark with the National Weather Service in Topeka, Kan., said the storm seemed especially impressive because it had been preceded by unseasonably mild weather. Temperatures approached, and in some places eclipsed, record highs earlier in the week.
Forecasters say not to read too much into this early-season assault, reports Bowers. The outlook for the rest of winter is for above normal temperatures.
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