Midwest in Deep Freeze After Storm Cancels Flights

ABC News ^ | 12/13/10 | SOPHIA TAREEN

[TigerLikesRooster]

A powerful storm that unleashed snow and strong winds across the upper Midwest has left behind dangerously cold temperatures.

The weekend storm closed major highways in several states, canceled more than 1,600 flights in Chicago and collapsed the roof of the Minnesota Vikings' stadium. At least six weather-related deaths were reported.

[cripplecreek]

Not a lot of snow here in south central Michigan but its definitely cold.

[diverteach]

30 with a real feel of 21 here in FLORIDA.

[Panzerlied]

Only 4 inches here in Metro Detoit area, but ditto the cccold!

[rarestia]

We’ve got 30 kt winds here in Tampa and plenty of sprinkles. It’s still below 40 outside without the wind chill.

[fanfan]

Dug out yet?

[cripplecreek]

I’ve got 10 degrees right now. Don’t know what the wind chill is.

[AFreeBird]

About 15 here in Indy right now. Supposed to get down to 8 tonite. Three inches of Glo-Bull warming fell last night.

[katana]

Here in NE Ohio the lake effect has finally kicked in (back end of storm has winds from the NW) and we’re getting pretty well socked. Nothing we don’t see every winter, but usually not as early as mid-December.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

The Vy-queens play the Gnats at Ford Field tonight. Word is there are a lot of “free” seats for locals.

[bcsco]

We had 4-6” here in Rochelle, IL (80 miles straight West of Chicago), but the blowing and drifting were the problem. White-out conditions, roads snow-packed, I-80 closed near Peru with a 70+ car pileup, and all our churches in town canceled Sunday services.

By the time the Bears game aired, it had pretty much abated here, but they were getting some pretty good lake affect snow during the game. Over the last 3 years we’ve come to expect this in December. Winters of old...

[MplsSteve]

In the Twin Cities metro area, the gamut of snow ran from 21 inches to about 9 inches.

The higher amounts tended to be in the central and southern parts of the metro area.

The roads (at least the main ones and the highways) are passable. The side streets? Not so much. Downtown Minneapolis (the collapse of the Metrodome aside) is a mess.

It’s definitely colder since the front blew thru late on Saturday - but you know? I’ve dealt with morning temps that were worse than this.

[MplsSteve]

Rochelle?

I’m a rail fan. I’ve always wanted to go to the place in Rochelle where the BNSF and the UP intersect. Lots and lots of trains - 24/7, I’ve heard.

[hal ogen]

Everybody toughen up. It is called “winter” and it happens every year.

[IronJack]

I’m in Downtown MPLS now and it’s passable. No idea what the side streets look like but main DT is plowed. It was 9 below when I drove in from the burbs, and we got at least 18” over the weekend. The snowblower earned its keep.

[bcsco]

C'mon down. They just replaced the diamond. I-94 to I-90/39 South will take you right to us. We're 35 miles South of Rockford at the intersection of I-39 & I-88.

Here's the webpage...

[justa-hairyape]

It is called “winter” and it happens every year.

According to the calendar we still have a week of fall left, which is why this cold and snow is a little unusual. There is a second December arctic blast hitting Florida right now. According to the weather people, two arctic blasts in Florida in December is very rare. Bastardi put out a new video today where he predicts that this will be one of the top 5 worse Decembers for US cold in recent modern times.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I hate to say it, but we don't even have the snowblower operational at home, but we can drive over it OK to get in and out. I keep telling my husband to get a service for home, but he refuses. I swear he likes the annual ritual of mounting the SB on the tractor on the worst days of the winter just so that everyone will feel sorry for him. At least he doesn't have to mount the snow tires because he never took them off last year (and my lawn shows it).

The snowblower at work sheared a couple of pins this morning, so he has to fix that too. We have a service the plows the parking lot, but we have to do the sidewalks ourselves. We have a lengthy front and side sidewalks that we have to keep clear for the students who attend the 2 schools down the street, to say nothing about the neighborhood people who walk their dogs past the plant daily.

We only got about 4-5 inches, but it is bitterly cold.

A boy plays on top of a quarter-mile long ice shove that developed because of sustained high winds in about 30 minutes along the west shore of Lake Winnebago.

The cold temperatures did not deter surfers who took advantage of the gusting winds on Lake Michigan, riding the large waves.

Waves pummel the lighthouse on Lake Michigan.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Colder than a witches "_______" north of Dee-troit.

FUAG!

.....(speaking of which, where is the weasel Algore....spending his ill-gotten booty no doubt)