3 dead as storm pelts central part of nation with snow, ice

MINNEAPOLIS — A storm system stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes buffeted the central part of the country with heavy winds, rain, hail and snow, forcing flight cancellations, creating treacherous road conditions and killing at least three people.

In the Upper Midwest, the early spring storm brought snow to a region pining for sunshine and warmth. More than 200 flights were canceled Saturday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and blizzard conditions forced the airport in South Dakota’s biggest city, Sioux Falls, to remain closed for a second straight day.

Authorities closed several highways in southwestern Minnesota, where no travel was advised, and driving conditions were difficult across the southern half of the state.

One of the three stormrelated deaths occurred Saturday in northwestern Louisiana when a storm toppled a tree onto a mobile home in Haughton, killing a 2-year-old girl inside. Lt. Bill Davis of the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office said four adults and a 15-monthold child were also in the recreational vehicle but weren’t hurt.

A 30-year-old woman died in a spinout on a slippery highway Saturday near Lewiston, Wis. Police said her minivan began to spin and crossed the center line of Highway 16, where it was struck by an oncoming SUV. Three passengers in the minivan and the SUV driver were hospitalized.

An Idaho truck driver lost control of his semitrailer and slammed into a stranded semi Friday on snow-covered Interstate 80 near Chappell, Neb. Rollo Ward, 61, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, died.