At least 11 people have died in a snowstorm that has gripped the upper Midwest, knocking out power to thousands of homes and causing multicar crashes on major highways in the Plains.
Winter storm warnings for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were set to lapse Monday, but officials warned holiday travelers that conditions are still treacherous.
"The roads aren't quite as ice-covered, but we're still telling people not to drive unless they have to," said Sgt. Tim Elve of the Dane County, Wis., Sheriff's Office. "The interstate is still slick and the rural roads are really bad."
Officials worried Monday that travelers would ignore the poor road conditions in order to get to their destinations for Christmas Eve.
"I know it's the holidays, but we hope people use some common sense when traveling," said Sgt. Chad Breuer of the Grant County Sheriff's Department in southwest Wisconsin. "There are a lot of people saying, 'I'll just leave that much earlier,' but still, the roads are not favorable for traveling."
Thousands Without Power
The storm rolled through Colorado and Wyoming on Friday, then spread snow and ice on Saturday from the Texas Panhandle to Wisconsin.
Radar showed snow falling across much of Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota on Sunday and moving into parts of Michigan and Indiana.
"Everything is just an ice rink out there," said Sgt. Steve Selby with the sheriff's department in Rock County, Wis.
Heavy rain on Sunday pounded areas in the Southeast to the lower Great Lakes.
The area of Madison, Wis., got three to four hours of freezing rain early Sunday. The combination of icy pavement and gusty wind made driving treacherous.
Wind gusting to more than 50 mph uprooted trees in parts of Michigan.
Winds were recorded blowing as fast as 88 mph over Lake Michigan, with gusts of 50 to 68 mph across the Chicago region, according to the National Weather Service.
Because of the wind, airlines canceled more than 300 flights Sunday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the city Aviation Department said. Municipal officials said the wind had knocked out nearly 170 traffic signals, and there were more than 500 reports of fallen trees and branches.
More than 11,000 homes and businesses were without power at some point Saturday in Wisconsin because of the freezing rain, ice, gusty wind and heavy snow, utility companies said. Michigan utilities reported some 31,000 customers were still without power Monday morning, and in Illinois about 15,000 customers were blacked out.
Wrecks Blamed on Storm
At least three people in Minnesota, three in Wyoming, three in Wisconsin and one person each in Texas and Kansas were killed in traffic accidents that authorities blamed on the storm.
The fatality in Texas came in a chain-reaction pileup on Interstate 40 that involved more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, police said. At least 16 people were taken to hospitals, police said.
Many involved in the pileup were holiday travelers, including families with small children not dressed for the weather. Other drivers opened their own Christmas presents to provide warmer clothing for the children.
Authorities believe the pileup, which shut down the highway for most of the day, was caused by near zero visibility in blowing snow and slippery pavement. Multivehicle wrecks on Saturday also temporarily blocked sections of I-70 in Kansas and I-29 in Missouri.
From NPR reports and The Associated Press
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