WEEKEND BLIZZARD freezes North Iowa

Blizzard conditions shut down large swaths of the state this weekend as plow crews struggled to keep up with the drifts and piles of heavy snowfall.

Frank Boska, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, said that the North Iowa area recorded anywhere from six to 10 inches of snow, with up to a foot in some places.

Exact totals were hard to calculate as heavy winds caused massive drifting. Gusts reaching upwards of 50 miles per hour throughout Sunday resulted in blizzard and whiteout conditions for travelers.

The weekend blizzard shut down roads across the state, including Interstate 35, and left them closed as weather conditions made it too dangerous for even the plows to go out. Late Saturday night Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Pals warned people via social media that a tow ban would be in effect, advising everybody to stay off the roads until the weather cleared. Unable to reach all of the vehicles currently stuck, Sheriff’s deputies only responded to medical emergencies through the evening and early morning.

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