Feb 13, 2007 5:00 am US/Pacific
New Winter Storm Barrels Through Midwest
Upstate New York Braces For Another Round Of Heavy Snow
REDFIELD, N.Y. (AP) ―
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Snow plows clear Chicago streets. (File)
CBS
Whether it's a record or not, 141 inches is a lot of snow even for upstate New York. And, if that's not enough, there's more on the way from the Midwest.
"We're ready. It can't snow too much for people around here," said Redfield Clerk Elaine Verdon, whose small town is a mecca for snowmobilers and cross-country skiers.
Incomplete records prevent the National Weather Service from calling the 11 feet, 9 inches of snow that fell here over the past 10 days an official record, but it does beat the 10 feet, 7 inches that fell in nearby Montague over seven days ending Jan. 1, 2002.
Records could soon topple. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from parts of Iowa and Missouri east to cover most of Illinois and parts of central and northern Indiana. It was expected to reach New York later this week.
Roads in all of Ohio's 88 counties were wet or at least partially covered in snow early Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Transportation warned on its Web site. Some flights out of Cincinnati's airport were canceled.
In northeast Ohio, where morning commuters got an early start to try to beat the worst weather, meteorologists predicted up to 10 inches of snow Tuesday and another 10 inches by Wednesday night, when temperatures are expected to plummet to low single digits. Illinois was expecting accumulations of 12 inches.
At least two people were killed and more injured in several accidents in Nebraska on Monday, as icy roads and blowing snow brought poor visibility and slick roads across the state.
Four to 6 inches of snow already had blanketed parts of western and central Nebraska by 10:30 p.m. Monday, said John Springer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Platte.
In Indiana, about a dozen officials from the Department of Homeland Security and other state agencies hunkered down in the basement of the state government center in Indianapolis on Monday night to direct emergency operations as the storm swept into the state from the southwest.
Road crews spent much of Monday treating interstates and other highways, with snowplows to head out around the clock with drivers on 12-hour shifts once the snow started to fall, said Will Wingfield of the state Department of Transportation.
A winter storm watch was posted Tuesday night and Wednesday for all of western and central New York with the storm system approaching from the Midwest. Forecasters said the storm could bring 8 to 20 inches of snow to upstate New York.
"We're ready for the next round," said Terry Grimshaw, mayor of the village of Mexico. "All the main streets have been widened, the hydrants are open, most of the sidewalks are cleared. We're in good shape. Another foot now is no big deal."
Upstate New York's most recent heavy snow has been produced by a stalled system of intense lake-effect squalls that blanketed communities along eastern Lake Ontario. Lake-effect snow continued to fall in the area Monday.
Residents in Redfield were unfazed by the snow that has already accumulated. Redfield receives an annual average of 270 inches - more than 22 feet. It snowed 180 inches in January 2004.
"It's not an unusual amount, it's just unusual that it fell in such a short period of time," Verdon said.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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