A major winter storm moving across the central United States caused problems for residents without power and travelers negotiating icy roads and dealing with canceled airline flights. The worst of the storm was moving northeast across the region on Thursday, bringing heavy snow, sleet, and rain to most of the central part of the country. Thirty to 60 centimeters of snow was possible in some areas by Friday. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued blizzard warnings early Thursday for Kansas, western North Dakota, northern Minnesota, northwestern Nebraska, and northern Texas. It cautioned that travel would be extremely dangerous in those areas through the weekend and that anyone driving should pack a winter survival kit in case of emergency. The NWS also warned of strong winds, more snow, and poor visibility in western South Dakota. Rain, sleet, and snow were forecast for western Iowa and Wisconsin. The storm started in the southwestern United States (where blizzard conditions closed roads and caused a 20-vehicle accident in Arizona on Tuesday) and spread east and north, causing weather advisories from the Rocky Mountains to Lake Michigan. Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 12 deaths so far (six in accidents on a Nebraska highway, four on a Kansas highway, one in Minnesota, and one in New Mexico). Early Thursday, almost 100 scheduled flights from Minneapolis International Airport were canceled, and dozens more were delayed. The Chicago aviation department said there were no major delays early Thursday at O'Hare International Airport or Midway International Airport. But on Wednesday, it reported more than 200 cancellations at O'Hare and about 60 at Midway.
