A December to Forget: Cold Grips Country; Snow Deflates Metrodome Roof
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. Happy Monday. It's only 12 more days until Christmas. Time's flying.</s>JOE JOHNS, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: And it sure looks like it out there.</s>CHETRY: I know.</s>JOHNS: The weather is absolutely incredible. Weather nation. That's what I'm calling it.</s>CHETRY: I know. The snow in huge amounts in much of the Midwest and, boy, I don't think it's going to melt until Christmas.</s>JOHNS: Yes, absolutely. Well, you know, at least it's better than 95 degrees.</s>CHETRY: Yes.</s>JOHNS: I'm Joe Johns. I'm in for John Roberts this morning. And we all know Kiran Chetry who's been very busy over the past few days and weeks.</s>CHETRY: Oh, you know how it goes this time of year.</s>JOHNS: Yes. Yes.</s>CHETRY: It's good to have you with us this morning.</s>JOHNS: I'm really glad to be here. Yes. All right. Let's get caught up on what's happened overnight. The wild, almost winter storm that brought the Midwest to a halt is not over yet. Many people stranded at the airport and stuck in their homes this morning. And dangerously cold temperatures are closing in right behind it.</s>CHETRY: Yes, and all the snow, too much for the Metrodome's Teflon roof. This was in Minnesota. It deflated and collapsed under the pressure of one of the biggest snowfalls in Minneapolis history. And all of it was caught on tape. There you see actually from the inside --</s>JOHNS: Wow.</s>CHETRY: -- some of the Teflon tearing and you see the snow that's coming right in.</s>JOHNS: Terrible.</s>CHETRY: It sent the Giants and Vikings scrambling to try to find a place to play. That's now been moved to Detroit. And we're going to have more amazing video from the inside of the dome just ahead.</s>JOHNS: And a showdown looming in the lame duck Congress over President Obama's tax cut compromise. A large chunk of your 2011 take home pay on the line today. The Obama administration predicts passage, but House Democrats promise a fight saying the president rolled over for Republicans. We're live at the White House ahead of today's key Senate vote.</s>CHETRY: Up first, though, the extreme weather, the snow, the bitter cold, turning lives upside down this morning. In fact, it's still snowing in many places across the Midwest, around the Great Lakes, round two on its way. And it is dangerously cold, as well. There's no telling how many people are stuck on the roads, at the airports, and in some cases in their own homes. And it may not get better for days.</s>JOHNS: And this morning, the Metrodome in Minneapolis is an outdoor stadium. It's an inflatable roof, flat as a pancake, caved in under 17 inches of snow. The amazing collapse all caught on tape from inside an avalanche of snow pouring on to the field. The Minnesota Vikings will now play a home game tonight in Detroit against the Giants.</s>CHETRY: We'll go live to the Twin Cities in just a moment. Chris Welch is standing by there. But first, we're going to check in with Rob Marciano to find out more about this system and how much more snow they could be looking at. Hey, Rob.</s>ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran. Yes, quite a storm. You know, you think about 17 inches in Minneapolis, that's a place that should get a lot of snow. Well, the fact of the matter is that part of the country to get over a foot of snow is definitely a major, major event. It's not the first major event of the season. And this storm, at least for the Midwest will go down in the record books.</s>MARCIANO (voice-over): This storm that deflated the Metrodome and stranded the New York Giants at airport in K.C. was the fifth greatest snowstorm of all time in the Twin Cities. Saturday was the snowiest December day on record with just over 17 inches of the white stuff. And as the storm moved east, bone-chilling 50-mile-an-hour winds moved in.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a bus. It's stuck in the snow. It can't get out.</s>MARCIANO: Creating whiteout conditions that made travel so dangerous that plows were even pulled off the roads.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the best way to get around, in cross- country skis.</s>MARCIANO: And at O'Hare, a totally depressing departure board, especially for the guy who's packed deep dish pizzas as Christmas gifts.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good Chicago pizza may end up -- I don't know, end up in a snow drift tonight just to try to keep them cold.</s>MARCIANO: In all, some 1,400 flights canceled and countless nerves frazzled in Chicago. The only person the snow couldn't slow down, Tom Brady.</s>ANNOUNCER: Brady and Branch again for 59.</s>MARCIANO: As the Patriots rolled over the Bears at the snowy Soldier field.</s>MARCIANO: In the rain at the meadow lands, and it's still warming up for rain across the northeast. So this is definitely not a northeast storm. But typically once these fronts come through, you'll change over to snow. Most of the moisture now across the northeast is headed to eastern New England and not a ton of snow behind this even when you see start to see things change over, which they will this afternoon. But the moisture for the most part will be gone. So accumulations in the northeast I believe will be minimal with this. But look at this, snow is getting all the way down to parts of the south. Atlanta, we had quite a bit of flurries yesterday and up through Nashville, we're seeing some snow. Birmingham, Alabama, seeing snow, and it will remain cold enough for snow across the Deep South today, but we don't expect any sort of accumulation. We do expect to see accumulation here, though. From Chicago back to Cleveland, this area could see one to two feet of snow in the favored areas. Now that we're starting to see the cold air roll in and now we'll get into the typical lake effect snow showers and some of the snow is going to be obviously heavy at times. Not only for today, but tonight and tomorrow and ongoing. As far as what we're looking at for temperatures, it's 43 right now in New York. So you're not even below freezing. It's much, much colder down to the south, colder out to the west, as well. And again, the snows, the accumulating snows are going to be held to upstate New York, maybe a little bit down through Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes. Six degrees right now in</s>CHETRY: All right.</s>JOHNS: Wow.</s>CHETRY: You got lucky, Joe.</s>JOHNS: Yes.</s>CHETRY: Because you flew in from Washington,</s>D.C. JOHNS: From Washington, D.C, it was raining like crazy, but we're able to get out. You, of course, weren't even able to fly. So you end up in the studio instead of out in the cold. Huh, Rob?</s>MARCIANO: Well, you know, I have to say it's not so bad.</s>CHETRY: Yes, you poor thing.</s>JOHNS: Too bad.</s>CHETRY: You could have been stuck out in Cleveland snow, but instead you're in warm Atlanta. At least inside, not outside.</s>JOHNS: Could be worse.</s>CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.</s>MARCIANO: All right, guys.</s>CHETRY: Well, the pictures really tell the story, as well. The massive storm dropping tons of snow on the inflatable roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis, home of the Vikings.</s>JOHNS: Right. It was simply too much weight for those old Teflon panels to take. Our Chris Welch is live inside the Metrodome this morning. Chris, what's the situation like?</s>CHRIS WELCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you guys alluded to, as Rob alluded to, it all started with this brutal, brutal weather. We're talking about record breaking weather here, 17 inches of snow piled up on top of the Metrodome roof. I don't know if you can see very well behind me, but there's a flapping piece of Teflon fabric. Three panels on Teflon fabric on the roof of the Metrodome, basically ripped, caved in and you can see there's ice, there's snow. What was melted snow on the roof has dripped down on to the field, covered it with water which is now frozen over because it's just as cold in here, just about, just as cold in here as it is outside. Now, I talked to the facilities director here, Steve Maki, last night. He gave me a little bit of context with this. He says, you know, this is more of a spectacle. The media likes to show these pictures. Obviously those are pretty amazing pictures. He says, though, it's actually worse than what it looks like -- excuse me, not worse, it's better than what it looks like. So we don't have to worry for too long, he says.</s>STEVE MAKI, FACILITIES DIRECTOR AT THE METROPOLITAN SPORTS FACILITIES COMMISSION: Actually, I think -- I'll say it looks worse than what it is. In some respects because as the repair, as I understand, will be basically to unclamp the old fabric and clamp new fabric in its place and then blow the roof back up.</s>WELCH: Now, in the meantime, the game that was supposed to take place here in the Metrodome between the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants has been moved to Detroit for tonight. So if you want to see that game, if you had a ticket, if you were in Minneapolis, you've got to make your way to Detroit basically.</s>CHETRY: So you basically have to travel 500 miles. They say they're going to get you, what? Some prime seating I guess at the 50-yard line? But I mean, there's a lot of people that simply can't get there. Either it's too much money to fly or they're not going to drive.</s>WELCH: That's right. It's a very long drive. I mean, you've got to drive south past Chicago and then back up again if you want to drive. Expensive flights. But they're telling people if you do make it, if you have tickets, you can get preferred seating on the 50-yard line. Not a bad deal, but, you know, is that enough of a consolation prize to make it? I suppose if you ask the hardcore fans, they would say yes, absolutely. Now, on the other end of the spectrum, if you can't make it, because obviously there are going to be a lot of people who can't make it, they're going to be giving away free tickets to this game, as well.</s>CHETRY: Cool. All right. Chris Welch for us this morning, thanks. Well, take a look at one of our I-reporters, what they sent in. It shows just how severe the conditions were in Minnesota. "Busy boy pro" posting this video from St. Paul where you could see cars completely buried in the snow. The only way to get around, a pair of cross-country skis. Road conditions are reportedly improving this morning, though, as plows begin to catch up and the snow starts to slow down. So we'd love to air your I-report. Shoot it, send it. Head to CNN.com and click on the "iReport" tab to find out how.</s>JOHNS: Serious weather problems too out west where the rain just won't let up. Flooding and mud slides forcing evacuations in portions of western Washington State. Rivers cresting at record levels with more than three inches of rain in Seattle in a 24-hour period. Meteorologists say the worst of the flooding danger is over, but more rain is expected today.</s>CHETRY: Well, the White House says it will pass, but some members of Congress are saying maybe not. The president's tax cut compromise, the first vote just hours away, but will House Democrats ultimately derail the deal?</s>JOHNS: And FedEx about to get slammed. Today could be their busiest day of all time. We'll take you to their Georgia headquarters to find out why.</s>CHETRY: And what could be a real life Da Vinci code. The hidden symbols discovered in the Mona Lisa's eyes? We'll tell you about this newest mystery still ahead. Nine minutes past the hour.