Storm blasts central US with snow, ice and wind, killing 3

James Schoenhard, with Schoenhard Lawn Care, plows sidewalks with his team downtown Saturday, April 14, in Sioux Falls, S.D.  A storm system stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes has dumped a foot of snow on parts of the upper Midwest. (Briana Sanchez/The Argus Leader via AP)
James Schoenhard, with Schoenhard Lawn Care, plows sidewalks with his team downtown Saturday, April 14, in Sioux Falls, S.D. A storm system stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes has dumped a foot of snow on parts of the upper Midwest. (Briana Sanchez/The Argus Leader via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A storm system stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes has buffeted the central U.S. with heavy snow, winds, rain and hail, forcing flight cancellations, creating treacherous road conditions and killing at least three people, including a sleeping 2-year-old Louisiana girl.

In the Upper Midwest, the early spring storm brought snow to a region pining for sunshine and warmth. Around 400 flights were canceled at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which closed to flights as heavy snow made it difficult for crews to keep the runways clear and planes deiced, while blizzard conditions forced the airport in South Dakota's biggest city, Sioux Falls, to remain closed for a second straight day.

The Minnesota Twins home game against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field was also snowed out Saturday, marking the first back-to-back postponements of baseball games in the stadium's nine seasons. The Yankees and Tigers were rained out Saturday in Detroit.

Authorities closed several highways in southwestern Minnesota, where no travel was advised, and driving conditions were difficult across the southern half of the state. The National Weather Service predicted that a large swath of southern Minnesota, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, would get 9-15 inches of snow by the time the storm blows through on Sunday, though only a few inches had fallen on the area as of midday Saturday.

"It's a cool experience for me, the best Minneapolis experience," said Niko Heiligman, of Aachen, Germany, who braved the snow to take a walk along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. "I'm only here for the weekend, so I guess that's how it goes. There's snow and it's cold. So it's good."

The storm is expected to persist through Sunday in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan before moving into New York state and New England.

Up to 18 inches of snow had fallen by early Saturday in parts of northern Wisconsin, with another 14 inches expected by Sunday evening. Winds of up to 55 mph caused blowing and drifting snow, along with ice shoves in Green Bay.

The National Weather Service also warned of potential coastal flooding along Lake Michigan in Wisconsin and Illinois, where Chicago residents were warned waves could reach as high as 18 feet.

Snow and wind gusts of up to 50 mph were whipping through parts of South Dakota for a second straight day Saturday, causing blizzard conditions that made travel all but impossible. While the blizzard warning was lifted in the western part of the state, it remained in effect for much of southern and eastern South Dakota.

No travel was advised in Sioux Falls, where police said the blowing snow made it hard to see anything. Several inches of snow fell in various parts of the state, including 18 inches in the eastern South Dakota city of Huron.

The storm and powerful winds knocked out power to thousands of customers in Michigan, which was expected to get more snow and ice through the weekend.

One of the three storm-related deaths occurred Friday on snow-covered Interstate 80 near Chappell in western Nebraska, where the State Patrol said an Idaho truck driver lost control of his semitrailer and slammed into a semi that had become stranded. Rollo Ward, 61, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, died at the scene.

A storm toppled a tree onto a mobile home early Saturday in Haughton, Louisiana, killing a sleeping 2-year-old girl inside, according to the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office.

A woman was killed in Wisconsin early Saturday when she lost control of the minivan she was driving on a slippery highway near Lewiston and struck an oncoming SUV. Three passengers in the minvan and the SUV driver were hospitalized with injuries.

In Arkansas, a tornado ripped through the tiny Ozark Mountain town of Mountainburg on Friday, injuring at least four people and causing widespread damage. Video showed uprooted trees, overturned cars, damaged buildings and downed power lines. Powerful winds also damaged several buildings at the University of Central Arkansas. No injuries were reported.

The storm made its mark in Texas, too, where hail the size of hen eggs fell on areas south of Dallas and Fort Worth, meteorologist Patricia Sanchez said. In Austin, fire officials said strong winds helped spread the flames after lightning struck two houses that suffered heavy damage.