US: Winter storm howls through Midwest

Heavy snow and strong winds pushed across the Midwest on Monday, prompting highway closings in Kansas and South Dakota, school cancellations in Minnesota and grounding of flights in Denver and Minneapolis. Weather service meteorologist Bill Borghoff in Minnesota says the storm started brewing Saturday night over Nebraska and spread to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He called it "a very classically developed winter storm," with widespread heavy snow on its northern end. Transportation officials lifted a no travel advisory for parts of southwest Minnesota, but advised motorists that blowing snow was still a problem. Winds were gusting up to 40 mph (64 kilometers), Borghoff said. "If you don't have to travel, don't travel," Borghoff said. Statewide the Minnesota State Patrol reported nearly 200 crashes and nearly 300 spinouts as well as 30 jackknifed semis by late Monday afternoon. About a dozen flights were cancelled or delayed at Denver International Airport on Monday, partly due to a storm hitting Minneapolis. Airlines are working to catch up a day after about 200 flights from Denver, about 15% of the day's schedule, were cancelled because of snow. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 400 cancellations by Monday afternoon, with average delays of about six hours, Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Pat Hogan said. "It's really a tough day at the airport," Hogan said.<br/>