The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Des Moines

Successive waves of wintry weather gripped much of the country Saturday, frustrating holiday travelers from coast to coast and keeping the lights off for thousands of people who lost power in recent ice storms.

Iowa public safety officials urged motorists not to travel as heavy snow began to fall in the morning. The state expected winds up to 35 miles per hour and wind chills of 25 below zero just two days after being slammed with sleet, ice and snow.

Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of Washington as high winds, snow and freezing rain began coating the state. Western Washington, including the Seattle area, could see wind gusts as high as 90 mph, said said Johnny Burg, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The temperature dipped to 18 below on Saturday in Spokane, which expected up to 6 inches of snow on top of the 25 that fell over the past three days, Burg said.

Icy wind and heavy snow closed a 45-mile stretch of Interestate 84 in Oregon between the Portland suburb of Troutdale and Hood River.

The wintry conditions weren't unwelcome everywhere. Megan Zarbano, manager of Kratz Hardware in Valley City, N.D., noted the snow was helping clear inventory from years of mild winters.

"We haven't had a blizzard-type storm in almost 10 years," she said. "A good storm really shakes people up; they freak out and realize they're not prepared for winter."

North Dakota's snowfall total for December nearly matches the 19.3 Advertisement Click heret

inches that fell all last winter, said meteorologist Joshua Scheck at the National Weather Service office in Bismarck.