Up to a foot of snow has fallen on some areas of the state and it continues to fall this afternoon. That’s keeping snow removal crews all across the state busy. Hamilton county engineer Dennis Short says crews have been at it since early this morning.Short says the only problem is the snow continues to fall. It’s a dry snow and the ditches are empty, so there’s plenty of room to move the snow. He says the wind is continuing to cause problems with blowing snow.While today’s snowstorm has caused numerous problems on the roadways, it also has had a big impact on the phone service in the state’s largest city. Qwest has asked Des Moines area residents to limit their phone calls today to those that are absolutely necessary. Spokesman Curt Stamp says people that’ve been forced inside are using their phones and computers.He says the number of calls has already made it tougher to get through, and could cause a shut down.Stamp says the phenomenon appears to be isolated to Des Moines for now.They haven’t has the problem reported in other parts of the state, but he says they are at a “critical level” in Des Moines.
