Some northwest Iowa residents are still without power after the first major snowstorm of the season. Snowfall amounts varied widely from the storm that struck late Friday and early Saturday.
Estherville and Spencer received six inches of snow while Emmetsburg recorded the highest snowfall at 14 inches. The snow combined with high winds created extremely hazardous driving conditions.The Emmet County Sheriff’s Office received numerous reports of cars in the ditch or stuck on the highway.
No serious injuries were reported. Utility crews were busy restoring power to thousands of customers who lost power during the storm due to a combination of the heavy wet snow and high winds. Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative said that as of late Sunday power had been restored to nearly all its customers.
Since early Saturday morning, the Cooperative’s line crews have repaired nearly 30 broken poles as well as miles of burned downed wires.
By Ed Funston, KILR, Estherville