Central US Faces Flight Cancellations, Power Cuts Amid Snowstorm

For the past few days, storms stretching from Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes has distressed the central United States with heavy snow, tornadoes, rain and hail, which has not only forced several flight cancelations but also created perfidious conditions on the road.

It also resulted in the death of at least three people, which also included a 2-year-old toddler from Louisiana.

All flights were grounded most of Saturday in the Upper Midwest at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as heavy snowfall made it difficult to clear the runway for takeoff, according to a report in US News and World Report.

Close to 470 flights were reportedly canceled before ground crew opened one runway. Even airports at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, remained closed for the second day straight. Reports also stated authorities closed several highways in Southwestern Minnesota.

The National Weather Service confirmed Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, could get up to 20 inches of snow (51 centimeters) by Sunday.

The Minnesota Twins home game against the Chicago White Sox was also snowed out Saturday, making it the first time there were back-to-back postponements of baseball games in the stadium's nine seasons.

"It's a cool experience for me, the best Minneapolis experience. I'm only here for the weekend, so I guess that's how it goes. There's snow and it's cold. So it's good,” Niko Heiligman, of Aachen, Germany, said.

The storm is suspected to continue through Sunday in Wisconsin and Michigan before moving into New York state and New England.

Almost 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow had already fallen in parts of Western Wisconsin and another 14 inches (36 centimeters) is expected by Sunday evening.

Additionally, the National Weather Service warned of potential coastal flooding along Lake Michigan in Wisconsin and Illinois, where residents were told waves could reach as high as 18 feet (5.5 meters).

Another report in the Michigan-based Lansing State Journal said the storm and powerful winds also knocked electricity out for thousands of residents.

Several thousand residents in the northern portion of Eaton County and near St. Johns, Michigan, had no power early Sunday morning. Reports said around 3,000 homes and businesses in the Grand Ledge area were among Consumers Energy customers in the state who were without electricity.

The company’s Online Outage map pointed out another 2,000 other customers in Clinton County, St. Johns, were without power. Statewide, reportedly more than 19,000 customers are without electricity.

Reports stated two storm-related deaths occurred Saturday in Louisiana where winds downed a tree onto a mobile home, killing a 2-year-old girl inside.

In Wisconsin, a woman lost control of her minivan on a slippery highway that got her killed when she struck into an oncoming SUV. Three people in the minivan and the driver of the SUV were hospitalized.