Chiller on Heels of Storm Brings Midwest Death Toll to a Dozen

CHICAGO — Arctic air blew into the upper Midwest on Friday, coming on the heels of a snowstorm that has been blamed for at least a dozen deaths.

Rescuers ventured out into subzero cold to save stranded motorists as snowdrifts blocked roads and highways across North and South Dakota and Minnesota.

One woman was found frozen in her car at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota, adding to the 11 deaths that authorities in the Midwest blamed on the storm.

Three other motorists in South Dakota were missing, including Karen Nelson of Webster, S.D., who has been trapped in her pickup since Thursday morning. She was using her cellular phone to call for help, but she could not describe her location. Rescuers tried to find her by using global positioning satellite technology.

With police cruisers and snowplows ordered off the roads, rescuers used snowmobiles to retrieve stranded drivers. Highway truck stops were crowded with people taking refuge.

Police set up barricades to prevent motorists from entering closed roadways, and Marshall, Minn., was blocked off for the second time in a month to prevent residents from leaving.

Government workers in western Minnesota were told to stay home.

Temperatures dropped well below freezing, and high winds snapped power lines, temporarily cutting electricity to hundreds of people in South Dakota.

Forecasters said the cold air mass that swept down from Canada was expected to stall over the region for several days.