Another wintry storm Friday

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      CHICAGO (AP) - A storm drawing comparisons to a hurricane
muscled across the Midwest on Tuesday, snapping trees and power
lines, delaying flights at airports across the region and
soaking commuters who slogged to work under crumpled umbrellas.


      The storm - quickly nicknamed a "chiclone" and
"windpocalypse" - swept an area that stretched from the Dakotas
to the eastern Great Lakes. Severe thunderstorm warnings blanketed
much of the Midwest and tornado watches were issued from Arkansas
to Ohio. Flights were delayed at O'Hare Airport in Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul's airport. 


      Sustained winds of 35 to 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph were
expected throughout the afternoon, the National Weather Service
said.


      Meteorologist Amy Seeley described the storm as one of the worst
in decades based on a reading of the pressure level at its center,
which was similar to a Category 3 hurricane - although the effects
of the storm were not. The wind gusts were only as strong as a
tropical storm; Category 3 hurricanes have winds from 111 to 130
mph.


      "This is a very different type of event," said Edward Fenelon,
a National Weather Service meteorologist in Romeoville, Ill. "But
that does give an indication of the magnitude of the winds. This
isn't something you see even every year."


      The winds blew off roofs at a tractor plant in Mount Pleasant,
Wis., and a home in Peotone, Ill.


      Sheryl Uthemann, 49, of South Milwaukee, was working first shift
at the Case New Holland plant in Mount Pleasant when the storm blew
through about 8 a.m. and started to lift up the roof.


      "It was just a regular work day and all of a sudden that noise
just came and (co-workers) said 'Run! Run! Run!' You didn't have
time to think," she said. "I looked up where the noise was coming
from and saw pieces of the roof sucked up. I've never been more
scared, ever."


      Commuters in the Chicago area faced blustery, wind-driven rain
as they waited for trains to take them downtown before dawn. Some
huddled beneath train overpasses to stay out of the gusts, dashing
to the platform at the last minute.

 In the city's downtown Loop,
construction workers wore heavy rain coats and held onto their
hard-hats, heavy metal streets signs rattled against their posts
and umbrellas provided relief only for as long as they could last.


      "The wind was almost blowing horizontally. The rain was
slapping me in the face," said Anthony Kwit, a 24-year-old jewelry
store worker in Chicago. "My umbrella shot off ... It was pretty
dangerous."


      He said the wind was so strong that his car "was starting to
veer off the road."


      Another commuter described a frightening pre-dawn drive to the
train station.


      "It was raining really, really hard. Coming down the street I
was kind of getting really nervous; even with the bright lights you
couldn't see in front of you," said Delphine Thompson, 53, a
telecom manager in Chicago.


      The weather service said gusts that topped 50 miles per hour
slammed into the Chicago suburb of Lombard early Tuesday. Some
tentants in downtown Chicago high-rise offices received e-mails
informing them that the strongest winds were expected later in the
afternoon.

      Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said
that flights were delayed early Tuesday morning at O'Hare
International Airport because the airport was able to use only two
runways for arrivals and one for departures. By mid-morning, the
delays were down to 15 to 30 minutes, he said.
     

 Indianapolis International Airport also reported some flight
delays, and the high winds closed two of three runways at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
      

The storm also picked up speed on Twitter, where people dubbed
it "Chiclone" and "Windpocalypse."


      In St. Louis, pre-dawn strong winds were blamed for a partial
building collapse that sent bricks, mortar, roofing and some window
air conditioning units raining down onto a sidewalk. No one was
injured, and inspectors were inspecting the 1920s-era building.


      In Ballwin, a St. Louis suburb, a woman escaped with minor
injuries when a tree fell onto her home as she slept, covering her
and her husband with dust and insulation. The family managed to get
out of the house and call emergency responders.
    

  In Milwaukee, some restaurants moved sidewalk furniture indoors
as the storm approached and homeowners scrambled to batten down
anything that might be swept away by the storm.
    


  Utilities in Indiana, Illinois and the St. Louis area said more
than 80,000 homes and businesses were without power.
     


 Meanwhile, much of North Dakota was expecting its first
significant snowfall of the season. The National Weather Service
issued a blizzard warning, saying up to 10 inches of snow could
fall in some areas into early Wednesday.
      


The snow is expected across North Dakota and into northern South
Dakota. Forecasters said wind gusts of more than 50 mph in many
areas would make travel treacherous.
      


Fenelon of the National Weather Service said the winds will
subside Tuesday evening but could pick up again on Wednesday.
     


 Eleven states are under a high wind warning: Illinois,
Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio and parts of Kentucky.
     

      Associated Press writers Tamara Starks in Chicago, David Aguilar
in Detroit, Jim Suhr in St. Louis and Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee
contributed to this story.

Gallery

Weather and Climate News

A storm drawing comparisons to a hurricane
muscled across the Midwest on Tuesday, snapping trees and power
lines, delaying flights at airports across the region and
soaking commuters who slogged to work under crumpled umbrellas.

Fierce windstorm blows across Midwest

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