Christmas Storm Slaps US

The weather outside is frightful, snarling travel and knocking power out
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 25, 2009 10:13 AM CST
Christmas Storm Slaps US
The Weather Underground forecast for Friday, Dec. 25, 2009, shows a major storm system in the Mid-US will produce another round of wintry precipitation from the Midwest through the much of the East.   ((AP Photo/Weather Underground))

A fierce Christmas storm dumped more snow and ice across the nation's midsection today after stranding travelers as highways and airports closed and leaving many to celebrate the holiday just where they were. Meteorologists predicted the slow-moving storm would glaze highways in the East with ice through Christmas night and that gusty thunderstorms would hamper the South. Around the country:

  • An ice storm warning was issued for parts of West Virginia and the Blue Ridge mountains in North Carolina and Virginia.
  • A wind chill advisory warned of temps as low as 30 below zero in Montana.
  • The National Weather Service warned that blizzards would hit parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin into the evening.
  • Driving became so treacherous that authorities closed interstates in Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas to prevent further collisions.
  • Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry declared a state of emergency after the storm knocked out power for thousands, canceled 70 flights, and dumped 14 inches on Oklahoma City—breaking a record set back in 1914.
  • Winds gusted to 50mph in central Kansas, while winds up to 65mph in Texas drifted the snow as deep as 5 feet.
  • The Star-Telegram said the last time the Dallas-Fort Worth area experienced "a true, New England-style dose of snow on Christmas Day was Dec. 25, 1926."
(More National Weather Service stories.)

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