CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Midwest got blasted by sub-zero temperatures Monday morning after its first big snowfall of the season, which was slowing grain and livestock movement to markets, a forecaster said.
"It will be a tough, tough day for transportation across the Midwest whether we are talking livestock, barges or human beings," said Mike Palmerino of Telvent DTN.
Temperatures dipped to -15 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit in southern Minnesota (-26 to -29 Celsius) -- the coldest spot in the heartland.
The arctic blast followed weekend snows of up to 20 inches (508 mm) in southern Minnesota and southern Iowa, a big hog producing area. Snowfall was so heavy in Minneapolis that the inflatable roof over the Metrodome football stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, collapsed early Sunday.
Other areas of the Midwest got about 3 to 6 inches of snow over the weekend amid strong winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 mph.
The Midwest will remain in the deep freeze through mid-week, with lows of -15 to -20 F in the upper Midwest.
Morning lows near Peoria, Illinois -- an area on the Illinois River where water levels are low and vulnerable to freezing -- were 5 to 7 F. Lows will fall to -5 F on Tuesday and highs this week will be in the low to mid teens through Tuesday, rising to the 20s for the rest of the week.
"We are going to be making ice all week," said Palmerino, referring to the Peoria Lake region on the Illinois River.
The Illinois is a major artery to barge grain to Midwest processors and flows into the Mississippi River where supplies are shipped to export terminals on the U.S. Gulf.
The six- to 10-day outlook for Saturday to Wednesday called for mostly below-normal temperatures and near to below normal.
(Reporting by Christine Stebbins; Editing by John Picinich)