"Winter Storm Blasts Across Heartland"

"A ferocious winter storm pounded the nation's heartland with howling winds and up to two feet of snow Tuesday, crippling airports, closing interstate highways and schools, and disrupting life in ice-glazed areas from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and from Colorado to Maine.

More than a third of the nation shivered, with some states lashed by freezing rain rather than snow. What one official called a "once in a lifetime" storm promised to dump an avalanche of more snow and sleet on the winter-weary region Wednesday.

Gale-force winds created blinding white-outs in parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Ohio. Cars and trucks were abandoned in towering snowdrifts, and thick ice brought down trees and power lines in scores of communities. Major outages were reported in Texas, Ohio and elsewhere."

Bob Drogin and Abby Sewell report for the Los Angeles Times February 1, 2011.