Bitter cold grips northern Plains

JAMESTOWN, N.D., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The northern Plains of the United States experienced subzero cold as a blizzard created whiteout conditions and dumped ad much as a foot of snow in some places.

Bitterly cold air, more than 40-mph winds and snow associated with the system combined to produce potentially life-threatening conditions across eastern portions of Minnesota before the system trekked into Canada, AccuWeather.com reported Monday

White-out conditions with heavy falling, blowing and drifting snow Sunday ground travel to a halt across the Dakotas and western Minnesota, where wicked conditions forced Interstate 94 to close between Jamestown, N.D., and Fergus Falls, Minn., and Interstate 29 from Canada to the South Dakota border, media reports said. By Sunday afternoon, more than 8 inches of snow was dumped in parts of central Minnesota, while amounts of about a foot were measured in Montana and North Dakota, forecasters said.

Temperatures plummeted as the arctic cold front forged east. In Kansas City, Mo., the temperature dropped from 60 degrees to 28 degrees during a two-hour period Sunday. Wind chills as low as minus-50 degrees were recorded in portions of the Dakotas and Montana, AccuWeather.com said. Northern Minnesota reported wind chills in the minus-40 degree range.

Forecasters said they expected the subzero cold to remain across the northern Plains through the beginning of the week.