Spring blizzard heads north

CHICAGO, March 28 (UPI) -- A storm that returned winter conditions to the southern Plains states moved north Saturday, headed for Iowa, Wisconsin and the Chicago area.

While parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas got more than 2 feet of snow, dangerous thunderstorms threatened the southeast, AccuWeather.com reported. The windstorms moved east from eastern Texas and Louisiana, where they have brought high winds and rain since Wednesday.

The blizzard was blamed for at least two deaths on the roads, one each in Kansas and Oklahoma, CNN reported. Many roads were closed, and the storm brought down power lines throughout the area.

In Kansas, state officials advised residents to stay off the roads Saturday, The Wichita Eagle reported. Anyone who absolutely had to travel was urged to pack emergency supplies.

"This is a pretty major winter storm," said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Kleinsasser said. "It's pretty rare you could get this much sleet from a storm."

Forecasters said that the Midwest would get less snow from the storm, AccuWeather.com said. But they warned that driving conditions could still be dangerous.