Parts of Midwest brace for ice; Michigan first responders dash to safety during major crash

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Freezing rain was expected Friday for parts of the Midwest — especially Iowa, where forecasters warned about a weekend ice storm in one section of the state.

The National Weather Service said ice — combined with strong wind in places like Waterloo and Cedar Rapids — could be significant enough to bring down power lines and damage trees.

“Travel could be nearly impossible as roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will become slick and hazardous tonight into Saturday morning,” forecasters said.

Elsewhere, the latest round of lake-effect snow off the Great Lakes buried some New York communities near Buffalo with more than 3 feet (almost 1 meter) of snow while leaving Buffalo’s business district and northern suburbs with just a dusting.

Further south, the town of Eden had the region’s highest snow total, with 42.5 inches (1.08 meters) falling from Wednesday through Friday, the National Weather Service said. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm.

A winter weather advisory covered Iowa and southern Minnesota. Nebraska’s largest city, Omaha, was told to brace for freezing rain, starting late Friday afternoon.

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Meanwhile, in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, authorities expressed relief that no major injuries occurred Thursday when the driver of a box truck lost control on icy Interstate 94 and smashed into emergency vehicles parked on the shoulder to help with an earlier crash.

The sheriff’s office posted video of the crash, which showed first responders fleeing to get out of the way after the box truck hit their parked vehicles, turned on its side and slid down the highway. The fire truck stayed upright but sustained some damage.

No one was injured other than the truck driver, who was treated for minor injuries.

“Everyone appears to be unhurt, rattled maybe a little bit, but the good thing is you get to go home from being rattled,” Sheriff Richard Fuller said of first responders at the scene.