Upper Midwest residents wait out blizzard at end of storm

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FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Most residents in the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota were spending Saturday indoors while high winds at the back of a powerful winter storm created blowing snow that shut down highways, closed businesses and postponed events.

A blizzard warning was in effect until Saturday evening for the eastern Dakotas, western Minnesota and western Iowa, according to the National Weather Service. While snowfall totals in most areas were below 5 inches, wind gusts up to 45 to 55 mph were expected to reduce visibility to near-zero and make travel impossible.

Interstate 29 was shut down from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Grand Forks, North Dakota and Interstate 94 was closed from Fargo to Bismarck, North Dakota. No travel was advised on secondary roads.

A winter storm warning was in place from central and eastern Minnesota into west central Wisconsin. Minneapolis was bracing for more than a foot of snow but was likely to receive just half of that total by the time the storm winds down, the weather service said.

In addition, falling temperatures into the single digits above and below zero was expected to create icy roads throughout the Upper Midwest and lead to wind chills in the 30- to 40-below range.