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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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White Christmas turns into a headache for some

Lewis Smith, age 13, shovels snow as he builds an igloo in front of his home in Overland Park, Kan. Friday, Dec. 25, 2009. A fierce Christmas storm dumped more snow and ice across the nation's midsection Friday after stranding travelers as highways and airports closed and leaving many to celebrate the holiday just where they were. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Associated Press
Lewis Smith, age 13, shovels snow as he builds an igloo in front of his home in Overland Park, Kan. Friday, Dec. 25, 2009. A fierce Christmas storm dumped more snow and ice across the nation's midsection Friday after stranding travelers as highways and airports closed and leaving many to celebrate the holiday just where they were. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
MILWAUKEE — Residents across the Midwest and the Plains who made it home for Christmas were digging out today after a fierce snowstorm while those who spent the night in airports and shelters tried to resume their journeys. Meteorologists warned that roads across the region remained dangerous. The National Weather Service said blizzards would hit parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin through Saturday. The storm had already dumped significant snow across the region, including a record 14 inches in Oklahoma City and 11 inches in Duluth, Minn., on Thursday. Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 20 deaths this week as the storm lumbered across the country from the Southwest. Ice storm warnings and winter weather advisories had been issued for parts of the East Coast on Friday, but the region was largely spared. Paul Mews, who drove from Faribault, Minn., to a relative’s home in Plum City, Wis., on Friday morning, said the first 15 minutes of the 80-mile trip were clear, but a sudden surge of heavy snowfall produced a stretch of near-whiteout conditions. “It was snow-pocalypse. It was wicked,” said Mews, 25. “We thought about turning around and going back.” He and his wife decided to continue when the surge passed minutes later, noting that plows were doing a good job of keeping roads clear. “Spending Christmas day with family was more important than the weather,” Mews said. Others weren’t as lucky. Army Sgt. Mark Matthey was spending Friday night at the Flying J Travel Plaza in Sioux Falls, S.D., after Interstate 90 closed. Matthey, 26, had left Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday for his hometown of Spokane, Wash., in hopes of making it by late Friday or early Saturday. Instead, he spent the afternoon drinking coffee, watching TV and making friends at the truck stop. He planned to find a spot to sleep on the floor or in the cab of his truck. Matthey said he and his fellow stranded travelers were in decent spirits. “Everybody has the attitude that you have to play the cards you were dealt,” he said. “No use in getting upset about something you can’t control.” Interstates also were closed in North Dakota and Nebraska. Meteorologists warned that massive snow drifts and blustery winds could cause whiteouts across the northern Plains. They urged travelers to stay home and pack emergency kits if they had to set out. Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota and near Albuquerque, N.M. Winds were gusting from 45 mph to 60 mph across the Dakotas and Nebraska on Friday. Crews were working to restore power to thousands of customers in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa. About 200 people were stuck overnight at Oklahoma’s largest airport, which closed Thursday afternoon after several inches of snow clogged runways, said Mark Kranenburg, director of the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The airport reopened Friday morning, but only one of three runways was operational. Most of the stranded passengers were gone by Friday afternoon. While some were able to catch flights, many simply went home. Kranenburg predicted it would be two or three days before all runways were open and flights resumed as scheduled. The 14 inches of snow in Oklahoma City broke a record of 2.5 inches set back in 1914. The previous record for Christmas Eve in Duluth, which has gotten more than 22 inches in two days, was a “paltry” 3 inches in 1893, said Kevin Kraujalis, a National Weather Service meteorologist. By the time the storm is over, it could be one of the 10 worst in Duluth’s recorded history. With heavy winds producing snow drifts as deep as 5 feet, “it’s awful, it’s just awful,” Kraujalis said. “It’s a big workout just walking outside to check my weather equipment.” Still, he acknowledged that not everyone was turned off by the fresh powder. “I’m sure kids with new sleds, skis, any outdoor sports equipment that Santa brought them, I’m sure it’s exciting for them,” Kraujalis said. “The snow is wet and heavy, so it’s good for packing, for making snowmen or whatever.” In central Iowa, a sheriff’s deputy in Guthrie County, where about a foot of snow had fallen by Friday evening over two days, said he saw only snowplows on his way to work. “It’s going to be one of them days,” Deputy Jesse Swenson said. “Everybody wanted a white Christmas — and they got it.” Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota and near Albuquerque, N.M.