Weather Woes Continue to Blanket Northwest

Dec. 26, 2008— -- Talk about a white Christmas week.

Airline traffic cleared out Friday after a week of delays and cancellations, but on Christmas, the Pacific Northwest got battered with another round of powerful snow and ice storms for the 11th day in a row, and there was no break for residents in the Midwest as an icy rain passed through the Chicago area.

More highways were closed in the western part of the country as snow piled up and officials told residents in some parts of the Midwest to hunker down as concerns about flooding grew.

The effect of the severe weather was illustrated across Washington state, where some structures collapsed under the weight of frozen ice and massive snow.

In Spokane, Wash., where residents have experienced the snowiest December on record, Sue Shaw, the owner of a gardening store, got an unwelcome Christmas surprise when the nursery's roof caved in, damaging its merchandise.

But Shaw said it could have been much worse.

"We were so lucky because tomorrow is our huge day-after-Christmas sale. People line up at five and six in the morning, and there would've been like hundreds of people on that one side that collapsed, and I'm sure people would have died," Shaw said.

Just five hours west, in Olympia, Wash., more than 2,500 feet of a high school roof caved in, causing massive damage. Again, no one was injured.

The snowy mess made for difficult driving conditions across much of the West. Officials closed an 80-mile stretch of Interstate 80 for several hours Thursday because of treacherous road conditions. The highway is the main link between Northern California and Nevada.

Many Oregon residents spent Christmas in the dark, as severe weather had knocked out power.

Nearly 10 feet of snow fell in the Tahoe region in the last two weeks -- a boon for ski resorts but a hassle for drivers.

"There's probably a little more on the way from what I understand, but we're anticipating a lot of skiers up here this weekend," said John Monson of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif.

Officials have issued warnings for skiers to be careful of dangerous conditions on the slopes. A series of avalanches have already killed five people in December.

In Chicago, it has been one of the snowiest Decembers on record in Chicago, with more than double the amount of snowfall than normal, and there is still potential for more snow before the first of the new year.

Rain and ice from a post-Christmas storm in the Midwest caused some roadways to shut down early this morning across the Chicago area. Local authorities in a southwestern Chicago suburb briefly closed all streets there to traffic, as roads were covered with a thick sheet of ice. The entire Indiana Tollway, from the Ohio border to the Illinois line, was closed temporarily as freezing rain and snow turned asphalt into sheets of ice.

Six people died in Indiana Friday in weather-related accidents. The National Weather Service warned of "life threatening flooding" in Indiana because of heavy rain and warmer temperatures that are likely to melt the snow.

Illinois State Police officials said the road conditions are some of the worst they have seen in the area. They advised commuters to stay off the roads in Chicago, if possible, until temperatures rise and snow and ice on the roads melts. More rain is expected in the Grand Rapids region and Chicago. Rising temperatures in the afternoon helped clear some roads, but driving conditions remained dangerous.

More Blizzard Bliss

Temperatures rose slightly, and weather improved from earlier this week across much of the rest of the country, but some areas were not immune from Mother Nature.

Residents in Dallas and Oklahoma experienced large hail and isolated tornadoes. On Christmas Eve, two small tornadoes caused scattered damage in parts of Alabama.

Nearly a foot of snow fell in the Salt Lake City area, cutting power to about 10,000 customers Thursday morning.

There was little relief in sight as more weather warnings were issued for Friday. A blizzard that is likely to bring in freezing rain and sleet is expected to move its way through Detroit, and officials warned drivers of slippery roads.

A heavy storm is expected to blanket Colorado today, just south of Aspen. Winter storm warnings were also in effect for Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana and the western Dakotas, and a blizzard warning was in effect for southwestern Colorado.

Officials closed Highway 285 in northern New Mexico due to snow drifts.

Up to 20 inches of snow was forecast in parts of the Rockies, along with wind gusts of up to 80 mph.

Visibility was an issue in the eastern part of Idaho because of blowing snow. On Thursday, authorities closed Interstate 84 for a few hours near the Utah-Idaho border because of weather issues.

Up to 20 inches of snow is forecasted for parts of the Rocky Mountains, along with wind gusts of up to 80 mph.

The National Weather Service expects the Northeast to be clear for most of the day but warned that light freezing rain could still create hazardous conditions on the roads.

Travel Woes

After a week of delayed flights, runway skids and airports brimming with stranded passengers, airlines had mostly cleared the backlog Thursday.

As of Friday morning, airline traffic was clear around the country, except at Chicago Midway airport and O'Hare, where some arriving flights were delayed by as much as two hours and four minutes because of snowy and icy conditions. Officials advised passengers to check their flight status before arriving at the airport. At Midway, about 20 flights were cancelled Friday morning.

At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, a dozen flights were canceled Thursday, down significantly from the 100 that were canceled on Christmas Eve, when officials set up 75 cots for passengers had to stay overnight.

Problems plagued Atlanta's William B Hartsfield International Airport most of Friday, thanks to technical issues. The Federal Aviation Administration reported delays averaging two hours and 19 minutes for arriving flights.

Travelers using ground transportation were not as lucky. The ice storm in Chicago caused massive delays on the Chicago Transit Authority's bus and rapid transit lines, as well as on Metra's commuter train lines, thanks to ice on tracks. Some CTA trains were an hour late and Metra reported delays of 30 minutes or more.

At least 41 people have died on slippery roads this week.

The weekend is likely to bring round two of exasperation and frustration as passengers travel back home in what could be another wintry weekend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.