Massive winter storm slams U.S Midwest, Northeast

Thursday, 3 February 2011, 10:33 am
Press Release: Scoop Link

(Reuters) - A huge winter storm pummeled the United States on Wednesday, bringing parts of the Midwest to its knees, taking aim at the Northeast, and disrupting businesses, flights and other transport.

Major automakers shut down plants in six Midwestern states and Ontario, and were just a fraction of the commerce that felt the storm's wrath as many Americans chose to stay at home or were forced to by impassable roads.

Grain and livestock movement was paralyzed in many areas. Wheat prices rose on worries that extreme cold to follow the storm could damage crops. Citrus growers in south Texas also feared extensive damage from a hard freeze.

The storm, touching some 30 states and a third of the U.S. population, stretched from New Mexico to Maine as it moved rapidly toward the northeast where an ice storm wreaked havoc on New York City and threatened eastern Massachusetts.

But the huge two-day storm delivered its strongest punch to the Midwest, dumping as much as three inches of snow an hour on Chicago during most of the night along with winds of up to 40 miles per hour.

"This is pretty unbelievable. I was around in '67 but this is really crazy," said John Paczesny, 48, a Chicago church maintenance worker and suburban firefighter, who was out shoveling snow Wednesday morning.

ENDS

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