Dangerously cold wind, heavy snow predicted
Wind chills reaching sub-zero conditions, freezing rain and heavy snow will affect regions across the U.S. this weekend from the West to the South, the National Weather Service has warned, saying conditions will continue into next week.
Parts of the Midwest will experience “near record, dangerously low temperatures and wind chills” with the sub-zero conditions stretching into the Deep South by late next week, the service added.
Heavy snow will make travel “poor to impossible” from Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, including the Portland, Boise, and Salt Lake City metropolitan areas it added, warning of tree and power line damage in Oregon due to freezing rain.
Wind chills of up to minus 65 degrees are expected in Montana through to the western Dakotas, it said, with conditions expected to remain between -40°F and -60°F until Wednesday.
Rescuers recover skier’s body after Idaho avalanche
The body of a man believed to have been killed in yesterday’s Idaho avalanche was recovered by rescuers this afternoon and identified, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The man, in a group of three skiers caught in the avalanche near Steven’s Peak yesterday afternoon, was identified today as Corey J. Zalewski, it said. The two others were located by deputies after a Garmin GPS device alerted authorities they were in trouble, the office said.
Those two survived and were recovering, it said. Deputies and members of the U.S. Air Force, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Silver Valley Search and Rescue, and the Silver Mountain Ski Patrol were part of the search.
Steven’s Peak reaches 7,000 feet near Idaho’s border with Montana. It’s popular with hikers, skiers and climbers.
A 66-year-old man died in an avalanche in Tahoe, California, on Wednesday.
Snow in the Midwest causes havoc
A winter storm dumped snow across the United States on Friday. In Milwaukee, 4.8 inches of snowfall had accumulated by 6 p.m. Friday.
Other parts of the state received upwards of 11 inches, including Waukesha and Elkhorn.
In Iowa, blizzard conditions were expected to continue into today, the National Weather Service in Des Moines said.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, Des Moines and Ames had about 8 inches of snow and Ottumwa had more about 10 inches.
Man dies after truck goes through ice on Minnesota lake
An 80-year-old man died this morning in Minnesota when his truck went through the ice on Mille Lacs Lake, the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office said.
A 911 caller said he saw an area on the lake where the truck had gone through the ice and found an adult male in the water nearby wearing a floatation device, officials said. The caller said he was able to recover the man and bring him to shore.
The man, who has been identified as Richard Francis Gadbois of Isle, Minn., was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Mille Lacs Lake is about 100 miles north of Minneapolis.
Iowa winter blast complicates last-minute campaign stops
DES MOINES, Iowa — The candidates are barnstorming Iowa in a last-ditch effort to campaign before the critical caucuses Monday.
Buffalo Bills asking for help shoveling snow out of Highmark Stadium
The Buffalo Bills are asking for help shoveling snow inside Highmark Stadium ahead of Sunday’s Wild Card playoff against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Anyone 18 or older can offer to work at Highmark starting today at 10 p.m.
Shovelers will start late today and can continue into Sunday morning if needed for an hourly rate of $20.
The team will provide food and offer breaks in warm areas throughout the night.
