WORLD
Heavy snow grinds through Western region of U.S
Baku, December 13 (AZERTAC). Stormy winter weather blamed for road closures and dozens of auto accidents is barreling through the West and stretching farther east, with parts of Iowa and Minnesota bracing for the prospect of high winds and blizzard conditions. Todd Heitkamp of the National Weather Service says the storm also is expected to hit Nebraska, which already reported several inches of snow by midday Monday.
The first snow of the season for much of Indiana tangled traffic and delayed schools. Crashes left one person dead. "The storm system is really strengthening as it goes, and that`s usually a recipe for some heavy snowfall and a lot of wind, and that`s what we`re watching for," said Mike Welvaert of the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis. On Monday, virtually the entire Western region was hit by wintry weather-from subzero wind chills in Washington state to heavy snow that closed schools and government offices in Reno, Nev. Big rigs were left jackknifed across highways in several states. In New Mexico, two people were killed in traffic accidents blamed on slick conditions, and officials there told snow-clearing crews to prepare for 12-hour shifts as the storm swept south and east.
The National Weather Service said the upper elevations of the Sierra mountains could get up to 3 feet of snow, with up to 4 feet forecast for the mountains of southern Utah. Reno schools closed, and many state government workers were told to stay home. Chains or snow tires were required across the region. Several flights into and out of Reno-Tahoe International Airport were delayed or canceled.
"Motorists are going to have to chain up," Trooper Chuck Allen with the Nevada Highway Patrol said. "Otherwise, we end up with a parking lot." In the Flagstaff area, a stretch of Interstate 17 was closed and a UPS truck slammed into a barrier wall and lost its trailer near a scenic overlook. The city school district let students out early Monday and canceled classes today. Northern Arizona University also released students and staff early Monday, in the midst of final exams. Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Rod Wigman vowed to keep northern Arizona roads plowed despite a $100 million budget deficit, but advised people to stay home if possible as the brunt of the storm sweeps through.