Blizzard paralyzes N.D., heads east

Melissa Lester checked the back of her car after it slid down an icy hill and into another vehicle yesterday in Boulder, Colo. (Paul Aiken/Daily Camera via AP)

BISMARCK, N.D. - A fast-moving blizzard brought snow and high winds to North Dakota yesterday, closing schools and causing more headaches for residents still trying to dig out from a record snowfall last month.

And forecasters said a blast of cold air was on the way that could send the thermometer to as low as 30 below zero.

Travel was discouraged in the central and western parts of North Dakota because drifting snow, whipped up by high winds, made the visibility almost zero. While the travel advisory was lifted by midday, new advisories were posted in the southeastern part of the state.

No injuries were reported.

The Minot area got 6 inches of snow, on top of about a foot late last week, while Bismarck picked up another 4 inches.

Wind gusts of about 60 miles per hour were reported in southwestern North Dakota and 51 miles per hour in Bismarck. Eastern Montana was rattled with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, meteorologist Bill Abeling said, but that area did not have as much snow.

As the system moved east, blizzard or near-blizzard conditions were expected in parts of South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. In Iowa, forecasters said 2 to 4 inches of new snow will bring totals since the weekend to nearly a foot in some places, and wind gusts could top 40 miles per hour.

The forecast in northern Illinois called for up to 5 inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits.

In Wisconsin, the overnight low could fall to 23 below zero.

ASSOCIATED PRESS