Jack Frost has paid another visit to the Midwest. For the second time this week, a major winter storm has left people from Oklahoma to the Great Lakes struggling to stay safe and warm. Heavy, wet snow has shut down major highways, put off flights and left hundreds of thousands of Midwesterner without power. "It's just snow. That's all we can see," said Shannon Wick ware of Woodward.
The storm began in Texas on Sunday and rapidly traveled north. A gust of wind pushed the storm up towards Oklahoma, bringing fifteen inches of snow to parts of Oklahoma. It then moved east and hovered over Chicago, dropping four inches of wet snow on top of the city and its suburbs. Airlines canceled nearly 500 flights at Chicago's O' Hare and Midway airports. Later, the storm swept Ohio, causing a lot of problems for the local people. Taking into account the safety of their students in the storm, many schools in the affected areas either put off opening or did not open at all.
In Kansas City, Missouri, up to ten inches of snow had fallen before midday on Tuesday. The city's mayor, Sty James, declared a state of emergency. Most government and office buildings were shut down. Some hospitals were forced to close urgent-care clinics.
While heavy snowfall is not usual for this part of the country at this time of year, it is the amount of moisture in the snow that makes conditions extra "treacherous". When snow is especially wet, it weighs down trees and brings down power lines. Roofs can cave in under the pressure and roads can become very icy. The power lines have cut off electricity to more than 100, 000 homes and businesses in the Midwest.
As snow falls and the temperature continues to drop, people are preparing the best they can to stay dry and safe. The bad weather is making travel difficult for even snowplows (扫雪机) and repair vehicles.
