Cleanup work was nearing an end around parts of the Great Lakes region socked by lake-effect snowstorms that dropped more than a foot of snow over the weekend, but forecasters warned another storm system could add a few more inches there later this week.
Many school districts in western Pennsylvania remained closed Tuesday as the storms were finally winding down after several days of lake-effect snow that also fell on parts of western New York, Ohio and Michigan. Those areas had been blanketed with a foot (0.3 meters) or more over the past five days. By Monday, more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow had fallen east of Lake Ontario, according to the National Weather Service.
Crews were making good progress in keeping roads open, officials said, and most travel restrictions had ended by Tuesday morning. However, drivers were still being urged to slow down and use caution. Meanwhile, a winter storm watch was in effect for parts of western Pennsylvania where a new storm could potentially drop 3 to 9 inches (8 to 23 centimeters) from late Wednesday through Thursday morning.
The heavy snows in recent days was blamed for a series of fatal accidents throughout the region.
Three people died Monday morning in a crash in Iowa after a driver crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic to pass a snowplow, according to the Iowa State Patrol.
The crash happened just before 9 a.m. in the 1700 block of Highway 1, south of Kalona. A 2002 Buick Park Avenue was traveling south on the highway behind a snowplow. The Buick crossed into the northbound lane to pass the plow and collided head-on with a 2013 Nissan Rogue.
The drivers of both vehicles and the front passenger of the Nissan were all killed on impact. Another person was injured and taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, according to the patrol’s crash report. The report did not state the severity of the injuries, or say in which vehicle the injured passenger rode.
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