Blizzards Close Midwest Roads; Hundreds of Travelers Stranded

Blizzard conditions Friday closed highways and stranded hundreds of travelers along Midwestern roads hidden by six-foot drifts, while blinding curtains of snow cut visibility to zero, causing a rash of multicar crashes.

Blustery northwesterly winds dropped the wind chill factor to 60 below zero in South Dakota, and 15 to 18 inches of snow buried Calumet, Mich., in just 24 hours.

25-Car Crash

A white-out--blinding curtains of snow--was blamed for a 25-car crash on Interstate 65 near Merrillville, Ind., that killed one person and injured several others.

“It was a white-out, I’m sure, and somebody made a mistake,” state police Sgt. Larry Dembinski said.

Winds of up to 58 m.p.h. piled drifts six feet deep along northern Indiana roads, and long stretches of Interstate 65 were closed as far south as Lafayette.

Six miles of Interstate 77 near Canton, Ohio, were closed while police cleared away a 23-vehicle pileup that included four trucks carrying hazardous chemicals. One serious injury was reported.

“Cars were dancing around like girls,” one driver said.

Cleveland’s busy East Shoreway, which runs along Lake Erie, was closed for several hours as police cleaned up accidents involving from 12 to 40 vehicles.

At least 100 cars were stranded along a 30-mile stretch of an Illinois highway near Moline, and 600 to 700 motorists were stuck in truck stops and restaurants along a 57-mile stretch of Interstate 57 that was closed so plows could get through.

University Closed

Northern Illinois University canceled classes and travelers were delayed at Chicago’s O’Hare International and Midway airports.

Meteorologists said that the snow and cold were produced by the same wind patterns responsible for record cold blamed for 176 deaths since last Saturday. They said that the latest arctic blast would not be as cold but would have stronger winds.

Meanwhile, Florida citrus growers rushed to process their crop before a seven-day ban on shipments takes effect Monday. The embargo was ordered to protect consumers from fruit damaged by the state’s freeze earlier this week.