Deadly Snowstorm Hits Plains

A blinding snowstorm blew from the Plains to the Midwest on Saturday, causing at least 5 deaths and dozens of injuries in numerous multi-car pileups and forcing authorities to close portions of several major highways.

In Texas, one person died in a chain-reaction pileup involving more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 40, police said. Authorities said it would take a few days to determine exactly how many were involved.

A storm hit the Plains on Saturday, causing accidents, forcing the closure of roads, disrupting air traffic and killing at least two people. Here, a man walks through the snow in Wichita, Kan.

Eighteen people were taken to hospitals, two with life-threatening injuries, Sgt. Michael Poston said.

"There were cars crashing while they (firefighters) were there," Fire Department Capt. Bob Johnson told the Amarillo Globe-News for its Sunday editions. "They could hear them (the crashes), but they couldn't see them."

In Minnesota, a man was killed when he lost control of his car on Highway 10 in Harris and was hit by a car in the opposite lane, according to the Chisago County Sheriff's Office. The victim was identified as John Marvin Becklin, 46, of Harris. Authorities said weather appeared to be a factor in the collision, which happened shortly after noon.

A 17-year-old girl died in an early-morning accident when she lost control of her car in Oak Grove and crossed the center line and was struck by a pickup truck, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office said. The name of the victim, who was from Oak Grove, was being withheld until relatives had been notified.

In Carver County, a 33-year-old West St. Paul man was killed when the car he was driving on Highway 7 slid sideways into oncoming traffic on the icy highway and was hit by an oncoming car, according to the State Patrol. The victim's 24-year-old passenger was critically injured in the crash. Their names were noit immediately released.

The Minnesota State Patrol said it handled at least 347 accident reports of vehicles that ran off roads across the state.

In the Texas pileup, many were holiday travelers, including families with small children not dressed for the weather, Sgt. Shawn McLeland said. Other drivers spotted them and opened Christmas presents to provide warmer clothing for the children.

The tangle of twisted cars and trucks shut down the interstate for most of the day. Authorities believe the pileup was caused by blowing snow and the resulting zero visibility.

In northeast Kansas, at least one person was killed in a 30-car pileup on Interstate 70, prompting authorities to close a 40-mile stretch of the highway. The pileup occurred about 30 miles west of Topeka.

The fierce snowstorm caused another wreck involving 20 to 40 vehicles, including three tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 29 in St. Joseph in western Missouri. Police closed about 100 miles of I-29 to the Iowa state line.

The Plains storm also blew heavy snow across Oklahoma and parts of Nebraska and Iowa, a region still recovering from a severe ice storm early last week that knocked out electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

"We may see some whiteouts in the open areas," said Craig Cogil, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa. Parts of the state could get between 6 and 10 inches of snow by Sunday morning.

Strong winds could make traveling hazardous all weekend, Cogil said.

Wind was blowing at sustained speeds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph in Oklahoma, where U.S. 412 near Mooreland in western Oklahoma was closed after up to 20 cars slid off the road or crashed, authorities said.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a six-car collision on U.S. 64 in the state's northwest corner involved an ambulance that was carrying victims from another accident. Low visibility forced the closure of some highways.

"It's really been very, very busy," Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Chris West said. "We've had so many crashes today."

Farther west, Colorado roads remained icy in spots following a storm Friday. Eastbound I-70 was closed about 20 miles west of Denver for more than two hours after a wreck in which five people, including an 8-year-old girl, were injured.

In Arkansas, high winds and scattered storms knocked out power to about 6,000 customers, Entergy Arkansas officials said.

The storm also impacted flights at airports in the Midwest, as the busy pre-Christmas weekend travel was getting underway. The delays rippled across the country, affecting flights in the New York region.

In Chicago, flights in and out of O'Hare International Airport were delayed an average of one hour, and about 170 flights were canceled, airport spokesman Gregg Cunningham said.

Flights departing from Newark Liberty International Airport for O'Hare were delayed about three hours.