The Minnesota State Patrol said it had responded to more than 500 crashes statewide since Wednesday, while the National Guard stood ready to rescue any stranded motorists. The National Weather Service reported that daily snowfall records had already fallen in La Crosse, Wausau and Green Bay. Records also were expected to fall in the Upper Midwest, Weather service meteorologist Steven Fleegel said. Nearly 77,000 homes and business were without power across Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa and Michigan Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us. An unusual but not rare weather phenomenon known as “thunder snow” — snow accompanied by thunder and lightning — was reported Wednesday and Thursday in central South Dakota.

Source: Huffington Post April 12, 2019 02:37 UTC