Deadly Blizzard Pummels Midwest, Brings Hurricane-Force Winds - East Idaho News
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Deadly Blizzard Pummels Midwest, Brings Hurricane-Force Winds

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Getty N 022611 coldtemps?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1361882591535Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A deadly blizzard is burying much of the Midwest, closing highways, knocking out power to thousands and packing hurricane-force winds to an area that was socked by a ferocious storm last week.

The blizzard, which dumped more than 19 inches on Amarillo, Texas, and brought 75 mph wind gusts, made its way east overnight to Kansas.  More than 5 inches have fallen in Wichita and forecasters said that 8 to 14 inches of snow could fall before the system moves through the state by late Tuesday afternoon.

Kansas was still digging out from last week’s storm that dumped more than foot of snow on parts of the state.

Two deaths are being blamed on the blizzard conditions, while three other deaths are being attributed to strong wind gusts produced by the storm system.

The violent winds fueled a devastating fire in San Antonio that burned one mobile home Monday afternoon, killing a mother and her twin toddlers.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation, according to ABC News affiliate KSAT-TV.

The storm will lose intensity as it moves northeast, bringing snow to Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service.  Chicago will get slammed with 3 to 6 inches of snow later on Tuesday.

By the time it hits the East Coast later in the week, it will be mostly rain, with parts of upstate New York and New Hampshire seeing 3 to 6 inches of snow.

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