A huge winter storm hit the central United States on Thursday, with snow so deep in Iowa that drivers could not see across intersections and wind chills as low as negative 47 degrees Celsius in northwestern North Dakota. Other parts of the region also had dangerously cold wind chills, including negative 40 in parts of South Dakota and negative 33 in northeastern Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Equally cold chills were expected overnight on Friday. An additional 25 centimeters of snow was expected in Iowa, already buried by 60 centimeters of snow last month, while up to 22.5 centimeters could fall in southeastern North Dakota that forecasters warned would create dangerous zero-visibility driving conditions. Wind gusts of up to 50 kilometers per hour were expected in Illinois, along with 30 centimeters of snow, while large snow drifts were expected in Nebraska and Iowa. Frigid weather also hit the southern United States, where a rare cold period was expected to bring snow and ice Thursday to states from South Carolina to Louisiana. Forecasters said wind chills could drop to near negative 18 degrees at night in some areas. Several recent deaths have been blamed on the extreme cold and icy driving conditions, including in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Missouri. In preparation for worsening conditions, more than 500 flights were grounded at Chicago"s airports. About 200 flights Thursday evening were cancelled in Atlanta, and frost on airplanes" wings delayed seven early morning flights in Tampa Bay.
