Arctic Air Hits Lakes and Plains, Triggers Snowfall

Arctic air rushed into the Great Lakes and northern Plains on Friday, whipping up snow squalls and pushing wind-chill measurements to 47 degrees below zero in Minnesota.

Temperatures were well below zero from eastern North Dakota and Minnesota into northern Wisconsin, as a low-pressure system over southwestern Quebec circulated frigid air across the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi Valley into the Dakotas.

It was 12 below zero in Grand Forks, N.D., and 10 below in Duluth, Minn., where strong winds produced a wind-chill index of 47 below.

The cold air passing over the relatively warm lakes triggered heavy snow squalls across parts of Michigan. Snow in western New York was blamed for six traffic deaths.

Another storm in the Southwest lost its punch as it moved out of Texas, but left behind a commuter’s nightmare Friday morning, when Dallas police reported 84 major accidents on the city’s icy streets.