By: Associated Press
Published: December 4,2013
"Cleon is a complex system that expands all the way across from the Great Lakes to the Southwest," explained The Weather Channel storm specialist Dr. Greg Postel.
Bitterly cold temperatures prompted safety warnings for residents in the Rockies and threatened crops as far south and west as California.
"When the highs don't get to zero (degrees), even the locals start to complain," said Mike Seidel, The Weather Channel meteorologist, reporting from Duluth, Minn., where Winter Storm Cleon continued to dump snow for a third day Wednesday. Seidel and his team were along Lake Superior, but had to reposition their equipment because the wind and waves were so extreme.
(MORE: Winter Storm Cleon Snow Totals)
Minnesota
Winter Storm Cleon has spread about 2 feet of snow in northeastern Minnesota and continued for a third day Wednesday. The unrelenting storm was blamed for hundreds of accidents around the state, including at least five fatal wrecks since Monday.A National Weather Service observer reported 33 inches of snow north of Two Harbors. Duluth was buried under at least 18 inches. Forecasters say much of the region will see another 8 to 12 inches Wednesday. By the time the winter storm warning ends Thursday morning, snowfall totals could approach 3 feet in some areas.
(MORE: Full Cleon Coverage on The Weather Channel)
Kelly Fleissner, who leads Duluth's snowplowing efforts for more than 400 miles of city streets, said city crews worked 16-hour shifts during the height of the storm Monday night and Tuesday. He said they will be out in full force again Wednesday.
Wisconsin
Northwestern Wisconsin is getting the brunt Winter Storm Cleon. The National Weather Service posted a winter storm warning for the region through early Thursday. Up to 18 inches of snow was expected to accumulate near Lake Superior. The rest of the region could get 9 inches, with lesser amounts to the south. Rice Lake, New Auburn, Ladysmith and Cameron were among schools canceling classes Wednesday. Rain and drizzle continues to fall in southern Wisconsin, which remains enveloped in fog. Frigid temperatures make their way to Wisconsin Thursday.Colorado
Snow accumulation is expected in almost every part of the state. A few inches were expected in Denver and on the Eastern Plains. Some mountainous areas were bracing for up to 30 inches. Single-digit temperatures prompted many shelters to open their doors and add beds. Pet owners were warned that even garages could be too frigid for animals.The Denver Zoo, which has about 4,000 animals, reptiles and other exotic species, closed Wednesday because of the cold weather and snow. Zoo spokesman Sean Andersen-Vie said the polar bears were having a field day, along with some of the camels, wolves and grizzly bears. He said other animals have chosen to stay in their warm living quarters. Even the lions, which have special heated boulders, chose to stay inside as temperatures dropped into the single digits, Andersen-Vie says the zoo has special accommodations for some of the animals, including hay beds.
Meteorologists say cold air will stay in place through the weekend, with lows dropping well below zero in the Denver area.
The storm is unlikely to compare to a blizzard that hit Colorado a century ago, the first week of December in 1913. That storm left more than 45 inches in Denver. In rural areas, snow drifts buried barns and houses.
Nebraska and Iowa
The National Weather Service said Wednesday that 10.5 inches of snow has been recorded over 18 hours in Valentine, which sits near the South Dakota state line in northwest Nebraska. To the east in Boyd County, 5.4 inches was recorded in Butte. The National Weather Service says the snow is moving slowly out of the area, but the cold remains. Wind chills of minus 20 were experienced near Rushville and Gordon in the Nebraska Panhandle. NWS meteorologist Todd Heitkamp says 4 to 6 inches of snow has fallen in northwest Iowa. Further south in Iowa, freezing drizzle forced delayed starts for schools in Treynor, Woodbine and Underwood.Michigan
Icy roads and fog are creating hazardous driving conditions in parts of Michigan, prompting some schools to close or delay classes. The National Weather Service says a dense fog advisory was in effect Wednesday morning for much of the western and central Lower Peninsula. Forecasters also warned about foggy conditions in parts of southeastern Michigan as well as the Flint area. North of Grand Rapids, MLive.com reports some schools shut down due to weather. Officials are urging motorists to use caution. School closings also were reported in mid-Michigan. In the northern Lower Peninsula, a wintry mix of precipitation that left roads slick was expected to change to rain on Wednesday. In the Upper Peninsula, the weather service says widespread snow was expected to change to sleet and freezing rain.North and South Dakota
Travel in the Dakotas remains hazardous as crews work to dig out from Cleon. Fender-benders have been reported throughout both states, including a school bus-car collision in the Sioux Falls area with no injuries. Police in Sioux Falls, where more than 6 inches of snow fell, reported 46 crashes in the city between 5:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. At least one fatality is blamed on the weather; a man was killed in an accident near Bismarck Tuesday. Parts of the Dakotas got anywhere from a couple of inches to more than half a foot on Tuesday. Forecasters say the snow will be followed by bitter cold, with low temperatures dropping to 25 below zero Friday and Saturday in some areas.Cattle ranchers who lost thousands of animals in an October blizzard were bracing for the latest wintry weather. Cattle should be able to withstand the harsh conditions better than they did the Oct. 4 blizzard, said Julie Ellingson, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association.Residents in parts of the Dakotas began their workweek dealing with icy roads and sidewalks as a three-wave storm began sweeping over the northern Great Plains.
(MORE: 48-Hour Snow Forecast)
Oklahoma
Forecasters issued a winter storm warning for a large swath of Oklahoma as cold air and abundant moisture are poised to cover the state. The National Weather Service says rain on Thursday will switch over to freezing rain in parts of the state, and freezing rain and sleet will continue into Thursday night. Much of the precipitation is expected to switch over to all snow before ending on Friday. A half-inch of freezing rain could be possible in some areas, along with significant sleet. Some areas will see power outages and travel will be treacherous. The winter storm warning is in effect from southwestern Oklahoma to the eastern border near Fort Smith, Ark. All parts of the state except far southeastern Oklahoma are under a winter storm warning or advisory. Many high school championship football games have been rescheduled for next week.Arkansas
Forecasters issued ice storm and winter storm warnings for northern and western Arkansas and said there was a chance of icing elsewhere Thursday and Friday. Government agencies hoped to remain open but will consider shutting some offices before they even open. Travel is expected to become difficult or impossible throughout northern and western Arkansas. Entergy Arkansas, the state's largest electric utility, said it was hopeful that 8,000 workers would be available to replace fallen power lines. In addition to the ice, it said winds could knock trees into power lines. The University of Central Arkansas canceled events planned for prospective students and directed would-be attendees to events in February and March, and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith postponed final exams set for Thursday and Friday.Utah
A big blast of winter was expected to greet southern Utah on Wednesday as Winter Storm Cleon cartwheels across the state. Eastern Utah also could get hammered. The two-day storm was expected to leave up to 30 inches of snow in the Utah mountains, the National Weather Service said. It produced dozens of crashes and slide-offs in northern Utah on Tuesday, according to state transportation and highway patrol officials. Separately, the Salt Lake City suburb of South Jordan reported 27 crashes by midday Tuesday with three people injured. One was hospitalized. In eastern Utah, Dinosaur National Monument closed its exhibit center and quarry Tuesday afternoon because of heavy snowfall, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Treacherous driving conditions confronted many Utah motorists again early Wednesday, officials said. They were discouraging travel along Interstate 15 as far south as Cedar City.
Montana
A 21-year-old woman died in a four-vehicle crash near Great Falls as Cleon blew into the state.Temperatures were expected to fall below zero with wind chills dropping below minus 20 degrees, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Bernhardt in Great Falls, Mont. Such cold weather over a prolonged period of time has not been seen in Montana since the late 1990s, he said. The weather has created frostbite dangers for anybody staying outside for any length of time, and officials warned residents to take precautions.
Washington
Temperatures are below freezing across Washington and the National Weather Service says they are likely to stay that way through the weekend. Some overnight temperatures early Wednesday: 29 at Sea-Tac Airport, 27 at Tacoma, 26 at Everett, 18 at Vancouver, 20 at Vancouver, 12 at Spokane, 15 at Wenatchee and Yakima, 13 at Pasco, and minus-1 at Pullman. Conditions are mostly dry but forecasters say there's a chance of flurries Thursday night and the possibility of snow early next week as temperatures moderate and clouds return.Oregon
Nighttime temperatures are dropping well below freezing, and the cold is expected to last through the week. In Portland, authorities said Wednesday the city's Willamette River bridges vital to commuter traffic would be the most dangerous spots for ice, and the city police reported one vehicle overturned on the Hawthorne Bridge. There was no immediate report of injuries. The cold fronts will bring some moisture and good news for skiers: Coastal residents may see some snow, and in Eastern Oregon, Anthony Lakes ski area announced it will open for the season Saturday.Wyoming
All major highways in Wyoming are open, but slick roads still caused accidents and interruptions Wednesday. Bitter cold temperatures covered the state. Laramie could see wind chills as low as 50 below zero overnight into Thursday. Many mountain areas in western and central Wyoming received 1 to 2 feet of snow.Idaho
More search and rescue personnel joined a team on Wednesday scouring the central Idaho mountains for five people, including four family members, who were onboard a plane that disappeared three days ago. A faint emergency beacon has been detected but pinpointing it has been difficult because it may be bouncing off the steep mountains. Additionally, temperatures that dipped overnight to around zero degrees coupled with snow showers have further slowed the search in dense stands of trees that could hide wreckage.Nevada
Cleon dumped about a half foot of snow on the Reno area Tuesday, sending state workers and school children home early, snarling city traffic and slowing the flow of Interstate 80 over the Sierra as the system moved across the northern half of Nevada ahead of a bitter cold front. About a dozen flights were canceled at Reno-Tahoe International Airport and more were delayed before a winter storm warning expired at 4 p.m. across most of the region. Cold weather was expected to continue through the week with lows dropping to single digits in the north and into the 20s in Las Vegas, where some snow is possible by the weekend.Arizona
The roads are icy, high winds are sending snow swirling, and it's cold. Temperatures in parts of northern Arizona aren't expected to be above freezing until next week. The National Weather Service says a cold front moving into the high country Wednesday comes with wind gusts of up to 50 mph, potentially affecting traffic on Interstate 40 from Winslow to the New Mexico state line. Up to five inches of snow is expected by Wednesday afternoon at elevations above 6,000 feet. A second snow storm this weekend will keep temperatures well below normal through Tuesday.California
Citrus farmers in California's Central Valley made preparations to protect their crops, as a cold front that could bring near-record low temperatures in parts of the state began moving through. Bob Blakely of the citrus trade association, California Citrus Mutual, said farmers were checking wind machines and running water through their fields in anticipation of the colder temperatures. Wet ground increases the absorption of heat that can keep groves warmer at night. Wind machines keep warm air from rising. Blakely said as of Tuesday, there was no need to panic. In fact, cold weather is good for the crops, he said.Elsewhere in the state, the cold system brought high winds and some snow. In Southern California, a high wind warning was issued for the Coachella Valley in the Mojave Desert, with gusts of up to 40 mph possible by Tuesday afternoon that could create sandstorms and low visibility dangerous to drivers, the National Weather Service said. High winds were also expected in the mountains of northern Los Angeles County, and with them a dip in temperatures that could drop below freezing by midweek. The northern Sierra was expected to receive several inches of snow.
MORE: Winter Storm Cleon's Wrath
A statue of George Washington is covered with
freshly fallen snow at the village in Beaver Creek, Colo., Dec. 4, 2013.
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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