UPDATE: Another roof in Western Wisconsin caved in because of the weight of heavy snow. The roof of an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Menomonie collapsed but nobody was hurt.
Heavy snow caused a partial roof collapse at a Kmart store in Eau Claire Thursday evening.
Police at the scene said the store was open for business at the time of the collapse. A gas line was severed and the store had to be evacuated. No injuries were reported.
A severe winter storm is causing widespread damage in western Wisconsin, as heavy snow continues to fall across the region. Police and other emergency personnel have responded to dozens of accidents and downed power lines. The storm led to thousands of power outages in Chippewa County.
The powerful winter storm is expected to dump between 15 to 18 inches of snow on parts of northwest Wisconsin by Friday morning. Strong wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour could also cause whiteout conditions throughout the area.
The southern half of the state is expected to see between one and four inches of snow by Friday morning, with strong wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour creating hazardous road conditions due to blowing snow and ice. Several areas also saw freezing rain and hail during the day on Thursday.
WAYY