Storm Threatens Snow in Midwest, Thunder in South; Other Parts of US Dig Out

A major spring storm threatened parts of the central U.S. on Monday with heavy snow in its northern reaches and thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in the South.

Other parts of the country tried to recover from their own severe weather, from hail and flooding in California to heavy snow, freezing rain and flooding in the Northeast, where some areas were not expected to get power back until Tuesday or beyond.

The new storm is expected to bring strong winds, sleet, freezing rain, and snow to a broad swath from the Dakotas to the Gulf Coast through Tuesday. A blizzard warning was issued for parts of South Dakota and Nebraska.

There is a greater than 70 percent chance of at least 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow from central South Dakota to northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said. Snow could fall at a rate of 2 inches (5 centimeters) per hour, it said.

Heavy snow had already fallen Sunday in Minnesota, where the state patrol reported more than 300 crashes, at least one of them fatal. A total of 8.2 inches was recorded at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport Sunday, breaking the old record for the date of 6.8 inches (17.2 centimeters) in 1996.

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