Midwest storm brings record snowfall
Motorists trapped in cars for hours on Indiana interstate
 |  Clayburn Weaver, center, blocks a gust of cold wind with his shovel Wednesday in Sullivan, Indiana. |
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|  VIDEO |
 Ohio roof collapses under the weight of snow and ice.
 Snow crimps last-minute Christmas shopping in Ohio.
 North Carolina father delivers baby in snowstorm.
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EVANSVILLE, Indiana (CNN) -- A storm that blew across the Midwest and East Coast was headed to Canada on Thursday, leaving more than 2 feet of snow in some areas and snarling holiday travel for many.
Ohio Valley residents were digging out of 5-foot drifts in some areas -- and bracing for icy conditions. A foot or more of snow was reported across southeastern Missouri, southern Indiana, northern Kentucky and into Ohio. Scottsburg, Indiana, received 29 inches of snow.
The Wednesday snowfall in Evansville, Indiana, of 19.3 inches shattered the record for any single day, set February 25, 1993, when 10.9 inches fell. It was also well over the normal yearly total of 14.2 inches. Paducah, Kentucky, got 14 inches, more than the yearly norm of 10. In Amarillo, Texas, 3.7 inches of snow fell Wednesday, more than triple the previous record for the date.
At least 11 traffic deaths were blamed on the bad weather. Power outages were reported in numerous locations.
Some Christmas package deliveries may be affected by the storm, officials said. (Full story)
The wintry blast forced authorities to shut down several stretches of Interstate 64 around Evansville, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded.
"It is a big mess," said Sherman Greer, emergency management coordinator for Evansville and Vandenburgh County. He had no estimate on how many people were stranded, but he said more were being found hourly. Some had been stuck in their cars since Wednesday afternoon, he said.
"The big crisis right now is getting the people into shelter," Greer said. Members of the Indiana National Guard were using Humvees, he said, to transport motorists to hotels or American Red Cross shelters.
Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan has declared a snow emergency in the southern half of the state, as well as some northern counties, said Alden Taylor, spokesman for the Indiana Emergency Management Agency. The counties were not specified; "we're just going by the areas," he said.
The sky over the southern half of the state was mostly clear Thursday, he said, but high winds were causing drifting and blowing snow. In northwestern Indiana, lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan continued, he said.
Workers were concentrating on clearing snow on Thursday from westbound lanes lanes of I-64, prompting anger among some stranded drivers in the eastbound lanes, Greer said. A Humvee trying to reach the eastbound lanes became stranded in the highway's median.
Greer said he had been in contact with many motorists via cell phone and most seemed to be in good spirits.
"I would be biting my nails by now," he said. But no medical or other emergencies had been reported, he said. Indiana State Police were broadcasting information for stranded motorists over the radio, advising them to run their vehicle engines for 10 minutes every hour to keep warm.
'We're still stuck here'
As the afternoon wore on Thursday, drivers' patience was fraying.
Tom Hemmer, uncle of CNN anchor Bill Hemmer, was among those stuck. He said he and his wife had driven to St. Louis to pick up his daughter at the airport and were on their way home when they were forced to stop on the road about 5 p.m. Wednesday.
They were still there more than 21 hours later.
"Luckily, I filled up [with gas]," he told CNN.
"I'm getting ticked off at our state of Indiana," Hemmer said. He had only seen three Humvees with National Guard members, and had not seen any for hours, he said.
Volunteers from area fire departments and others were attempting to clear the road, Hemmer said, as "the state hasn't sent anybody around."
Snow forced Ken Sabatini, 52, of Leawood, Kansas, and his wife and two children to spend Wednesday night in their car stuck on Interstate 64, according to The Associated Press.
"We're still stuck here. It's been about 13 hours," Sabatini, told the AP on Thursday morning. The Sabatinis are trying to get to Cincinnati for Christmas. "It's cold outside and we're doing our best to stay inside the car."
Weather also threatened to delay travelers to the north across Interstate 70 through St. Louis, Missouri, and Indianapolis, Indiana.
Southern discomfort
Snowfall was reported as far south as Nashville, Tennessee, and Dallas, Texas.
Mississippi motorists were urged to delay travel in the northern third of the state until at least mid-morning Thursday.
"There is extensive icing on the roads and highways north of a line from Greenville to Grenada to Tupelo," said an advisory issued by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. "If you must drive, do so with extreme caution."
In Arkansas, the Red Cross had opened a shelter just off Interstate 30 in Melvern, said Bill Muesham, spokesman for the state Department of Emergency Management.
Although the interstate was not closed, about 120 people had taken advantage of the facility, he said.
Expert: Delay flying till Friday
As of late Thursday afternoon, "ground stops" prevented flights bound for some airports from departing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Those included the airports in Cleveland, Ohio; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Newark, New Jersey, as well as JFK Airport in New York City.
Due to snow and wind, traffic headed for the airport in Toronto, Canada, late Thursday afternoon was experiencing delays averaging two hours and 15 minutes, the FAA said. LaGuardia Airport in New York City reported delays for incoming flights averaging 1 hour and 9 minutes.
Airlines were still struggling to catch up from Wednesday's cancellations and delays, said Kellye Serna, air traffic analyst for the Orbitz travel Web site.
If travelers' plans are flexible, she said, the best thing to do would be to delay travel until Friday, when weather conditions will have improved and airlines will have more available seats. "It's not a good day to travel," she said.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
