Midwest digs out after more snow, ice

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MINNEAPOLIS -(AP) A major snow storm dealt another winter wallop to Wisconsin, Michigan and northern Ohio on Monday as it moved east out of Minnesota leaving more than a foot of fresh snow in its wake.

Operations were returning to normal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after the storm prompted Delta Airlines to cancel hundreds of flights Sunday, although hourlong delays were reported.

Airport spokeswoman Melissa Scovronski said about 60 departures and 100 arrivals were canceled early Monday, but she said she didn't expect more because the weather was clearing.

The National Weather Service reported the storm dropped 12.5 inches of snow at the airport by Monday afternoon.

The southern Minneapolis suburbs had even more snow, with Eden Prairie hitting 17 inches and Bloomington a close second at 16 inches, but the highest state total was 19 inches in Madison in far western Minnesota. The storm had dwindled by Monday evening.

The snow fell from a storm that on Sunday spanned most of the upper Midwest and dropped more than 10 inches on towns in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

On Monday, the weather service said snow continued to fall across the upper Midwest and the northern part of the Ohio Valley. Forecasters declared winter storm warnings throughout those areas.

Ice downed power lines in Michigan and Ohio, leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity for at least parts of Monday. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

AAA Michigan spokeswoman Nancy Cain said the organization took more than 4,000 requests for assistance after spinouts and minor accidents Sunday and Monday morning. It wasn't a record, which she attributed to fewer drivers on the road because of the Presidents Day holiday.