First big snow of season pounds U.S. Midwest

ST. AUGUSTA, Minn., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The first major winter storm hit the U.S. Midwest this week, dumping up to 16.5 inches of snow on some parts of Minnesota.

The blast of Arctic air, dubbed winter storm Astro by The Weather Channel, was caused by the polar vortex becoming dislodged by the remnants of former Super Typhoon Nuri pushing into Alaska.

About 16.5 inches of snow fell on St. Augusta, Minn., the most snow the city has seen in nearly 50 years. Big Mountain Summit in Montana got 14 inches and Lander, Wyo., saw 11 inches. Forecasters said parts of Minnesota's Upper Peninsula may get up to 20 inches before the storm concludes.

The frigid air sent cities as far south as Dallas -- which reached a high close to 80 degrees Monday -- below freezing overnight Monday into Tuesday.

The snowfall impacted road travel across the Midwest, including interstates 39, 75, 90 and 94. In southern Minnesota, four people have died in car accidents due to icy conditions since Monday afternoon.

Winter Storm Astro is expected to make its way to the East Coast by the weekend, but should miss the major cities of Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit along the way.