Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Weather

National Weather Service: straight-line winds struck southwest Missouri

By

UPDATE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON: The National Weather Service in Springfield says its survey teams have found that the damage from yesterday’s overnight storms in southwest Missouri’s Aurora and Monett were caused by straight-line winds, not tornadoes. NWS meteorologist Megan Terry tells Missourinet the storms caused barn and roof damage. The NWS in Springfield issued at least 11 tornado warnings during the storms.

ORIGINAL STORY FROM FEBRUARY 7, 2019 IS BELOW:

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield has survey teams in southwest Missouri’s Aurora and Monett Thursday afternoon, investigating possible overnight tornadoes. The NWS in Springfield issued at least 11 tornado warnings last night, into the early-morning hours.

The National Weather Service in Springfield issued at least 11 tornado warnings on February 6-7, 2019 (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Megan Terry says there is barn and roof damage in the Aurora and Monett areas, which are southwest of Springfield.

“We had a line of strong to severe thunderstorms move across our area and sometimes we can get little spinups on those,” Terry says.

She says there are also downed trees and power lines in and near Springfield, from the storms.

The NWS in Springfield is also warning that “black ice” is possible Thursday afternoon and evening across the Ozarks. Ms. Terry says it will get cold tonight throughout southwest Missouri.

“We expect temperatures to fall into the single digits and teens tonight, so if there’s any residual water on roads it could freeze,” says Terry.

Black ice is difficult to see and is more common on bridges and overpasses.

The NWS also says the flood watch for Springfield, Branson and West Plains has expired. Terry tells Missourinet that much of the Ozarks has seen big two-day rainfall totals.

“Over in the eastern Ozarks around Montauk State Park (near Salem) 2.88 inches, near Houston, Texas County, about 2.7 inches,” Terry says.

She says there has been flooding in low lying areas, especially near creeks and streams.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a wind chill advisory for far northern Missouri, until Friday morning at 9.

The wind chill advisory will impact the entire Highway 36 corridor and everything north, including St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Macon, Kirksville and Hannibal.

The NWS says wind chill values in those communities will be as cold as -20 degrees.

The ice storm warning issued by the NWS in Pleasant Hill has expired. The ice storm warning area included a large section of northern and western Missouri, including Chillicothe, Kansas City and Sedalia.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) met with members of his emergency management team Wednesday night at the State Emergency Management Operations Center in Jefferson City. The governor is urging you to continue to pay close attention to your local forecast.

National Weather Service issues ice storm warning for large section of Missouri (AUDIO)

By

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued an ice storm warning for a large section of western and northern Missouri, including Kansas City, Chillicothe, Sedalia and Bethany.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has a detailed map of the February 6, 2019 ice storm warning area (map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter)

The ice storm warning is in effect until noon Thursday.

The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for a large section of Missouri, including Columbia, Jefferson City and Hannibal.

NWS meteorologist Ryan Cutter tells Missourinet there have been many reports of crashes across north Missouri, because of freezing drizzle and slick roads.

“Numerous accidents across Missouri especially as that freezing drizzle continues to fall, and is causing a slick glazing of ice on roadways,” says Cutter.

The NWS in St. Louis has also issued a winter weather advisory for four northeast Missouri counties, including the towns of Edina and Shelbyville. Motorists can expect hazardous travel there.

Cutter says the commute home Wednesday afternoon will be “slick and icy” in communities stretching from Columbia to Boonville to Kansas City to Kirksville.

“The temperatures where they’re going to stay, we’re going to be well enough below freezing and the continued misty stuff that’s falling from the sky is just going to continue to make things slick through the afternoon,” Cutter says.

Jefferson City and Columbia are expected to receive small amounts of ice accumulation through Thursday afternoon, but the amounts will be larger in northeast Missouri towns like Edina, which is expected to receive 0.18″.

Cutter also reminds you to be safe in stairwells, which could be ice-covered. The railings also could have ice on them.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Ryan Cutter, which was recorded earlier on February 6, 2019, before the ice storm warning was issued:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Some Missouri cities could set record cold temperatures today

By

A historic combination of arctic air and strong winds will lead to dangerously cold conditions the next couple days. A wind chill advisory and warning are in effect through Thursday morning for eastern, mid and northeast Missouri.

Some Missouri cities could set record cold temperatures today

National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Carney says the winter blast has led forecasters to issue their first wind chill watches and warnings in years.

He says don’t be fooled just because your car’s heater works.

“Your car breaks down. You are in the middle of nowhere. All the sudden, you are facing wind chill values of -25 or -30 degrees and you’re going to try to hike somewhere to try and get some help,” Carney tells Missourinet affiliate KSSZ in Columbia.

He suggests dressing in layers because health dangers will take little time.

“It’s very quick. You can get frostbite literally in minutes and hypothermia if you are not properly dressed,” Carney says.

Several Missouri school districts have called off classes today, including St. Louis, Columbia, North Kansas City, Mexico, Marshall and Jefferson City. About 40 northeast Missouri school districts and Truman State University in Kirksville are also closed today in response to the extreme temperatures.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Extreme cold front heads to Missouri

By

Extreme cold front heads to Missouri

The National Weather Service expects bitterly cold temperatures and gusty winds beginning today through Thursday in Missouri. Missouri could have wind chill factors between -10 and -40.

The state Division of Fire Safety reminds you to be safe if you are using a space heater. The division says one-third of heating fires and 80 percent of home heating fire deaths annually are caused by space heaters. Fire officials warn you not to leave a space heater unattended.

Try to limit your exposure outdoors and dress in layers. Animals should also have adequate shelter from the dangerous temperatures.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Heaviest weekend snow hits portions of southeast Missouri, leaves much of state with less than predicted totals

By

The predicted heavy snow for mid and northern Missouri never materialized over the weekend as the stronger part of the storm system developed in southeast Missouri.

Dan Spaeth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, which tracks southeast Missouri said the area received 4-6 inches Saturday afternoon, although there was a pocket with larger totals.

“The main swath in Missouri for the highest amounts went from Carter and Wayne Counties up into Madison County where we did have some 7-9 inch isolated reports,” said Spaeth.

Wind gusts of 50-55 miles per hour were felt in Cape Girardeau.

A firetruck from Zell that was responding to a 15 vehicle pile up on I-55 became part of the incident (Image courtesy of Zell Volunteer Fire Department)

A 15-vehicle crash blocked a section of Interstate 55 Saturday in southeast Missouri.  The Missouri Department of Transportation reported the interstate near Ste. Genevieve was blocked because of the crash, which included a firetruck from Zell that was responding to the incident. Motorists were urged to find an alternate route. There was no immediate word on injuries.

In eastern Missouri, St. Charles received about 2 inches of snow while Farmington had an estimated 1.4 inches.  The city of St. Louis received 0.7 inches.

Meteorologist Spencer Mell with the National Weather Service in Kansas City said several factors contributed to the storm fizzling out in mid and north Missouri.

“The storm system itself wound up being further north,” said Mell.  “The better energy for the whole storm system wound up being further south where they got the severe weather.  And over our area, we wound up getting dried out with those strong winds that moved down into the area, so all three of those factors cut our snow totals.”

Narrow portions of far northern Missouri, including Harrison County and the town of Bethany, received about 4-6 inches of snow while Kirksville had roughly 3-4 inches.  Some 2-3 inches of snow fell on other portions of north Missouri, including St. Joseph and Maryville while 1-2 inches fell in Chillicothe. Most of the rest of mid and southwest Missouri received a dusting of snow accumulations up to an inch in some spots.

Steve Lindenberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said the Saturday storm began to pick up momentum in his area.

“It was just starting out to strengthen as it was moving through the Springfield area,” said Lindenberg.  “And then as the day wore it strengthened quite a bit.”

Springfield received less than an inch while Branson to the south recorded an inch.  As much as four inches fell in West Plains to the southeast of Springfield in southern Missouri.  In a Facebook post, the City of West Plains asked drivers to avoid Highway 63 where there was a 15-car accident near Thayer.

Slick conditions also led to a semi crash on I-44 that closed down westbound traffic through Springfield for approximately four miles Saturday afternoon.

As of 8:00 a.m. Sunday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol had responded to 1,784 calls for service, 660 stranded motorists and 304 crashes which resulted in 45 injuries, 4 fatalities—2 believed to have been weather-related.

Mell with the National Weather Service in Kansas City says more snow is headed to the state in the upcoming days and next weekend in what is called “clipper storms”. “We’ll see these weak disturbances work through the area that could produce light amounts of snow, a few shots of it through the weekend,” Mell said.
Clipper storms that occur across and the plains and midwest states typically bring light snow, strong winds, and colder temperatures.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri first responders gear up for arctic blast

By

Missouri first responders gear up for arctic blast

Missouri firefighters, including those in Marthasville, have additional crews helping out during this weekend’s expected winter storm. Marthasville Fire Chief Jeff Backhaus overseas three stations near eastern Missouri’s Warrenton that are made up of volunteer firefighters. He tells Missourinet crews are prepared for the worst but hope for the best.

“We haven’t changed anything from last weekend. So, everything is pretty much prepared,” he says. “When we have impending weather coming in, we normally know pretty much who’s going to be around. They sort of tell us ‘Hey we’re headed out of town.’”

Backhaus says he has about 20 volunteer firefighters ready for duty this weekend. He says his firefighters will probably spend most of their time helping with traffic control and vehicles stuck in the snow.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Most weather advisories expire, wind and cold for duration of weekend

By

 

Southeast Missouri remains under a winter weather advisory until midnight Sunday morning with 2-5 inches of snow possible.  Springfield is under a winter weather warning until 6 p.m. Saturday with snow accumulation likely. Most of Missouri is experiencing gusty wind and falling temperatures.  Lows in the teens and single digits are likely across the state Saturday night.  Highs Sunday will be in the teens and twenties.

———————–

The winter storm making its way across Missouri won’t dump as much snow in most parts of the state as last weekend’s historical weather event.  However, there’ll be impressive totals in the northern part of the state just the same.

Image courtesy of the National Weather Service

A band surrounding Bethany in northwest Missouri which includes the majority of five counties should receive 8-12 inches of snow.  Those counties are Nodaway, Andrew, Gentry, Harrison, and Grundy.

6-8 inches is expected across most of the rest of northern Missouri which will include the cities of St. Joseph, Chillicothe, and Kirksville.  A band stretching through the northern part of mid-Missouri to the northeastern part of the state, including Moberly, Hannibal, and Burlington will see 4-6 inches.

A section of mid-Missouri extending across the state from Kansas City through Columbia and Jefferson City over to St. Louis should receive 2-4 inches while totals of 1-2 inches or less are projected for the rest of the state.

A major concern is that the storm could leave icy roads by Saturday when temperatures will plummet.  Jenni Coleman with the National Weather Service in Kansas City says the rain that comes before the snow will leave wet roads. “When the cold temperature moves in on Saturday I think that could pretty hazardous and pretty slick quickly, said Coleman.

The Missouri Department of Transportation notes the chemicals it’s using to treat the roads lose their effectiveness below 25 degrees.  High temperatures in the 20s and 30s in mid and northern Missouri Saturday will to 10 or lower Saturday night.  Wind chills could drop below zero in some locations as gusts up to 35 miles per hour ar possible.

—————————————————

Another weekend, another dump of snow in Missouri.  After last weekend’s storm that left historically heavy accumulations of snow in the central portion of the state, the next winter weather event will be comparatively minor.

Image courtesy of the National Weather Service

While some areas in mid-Missouri reported 20 inches of snow by last Sunday, the heaviest accumulations in this weekend’s storm will be in the far north central and northeastern part of the state, where 6-8 inches could fall.

It’ll move across the state from west to east.  But meteorologist Spencer Mell with the National Weather Service in Kansas City says there’ll be a sharp cutoff point where snow accumulations significantly drop.   “There’s going to be a fine line somewhere along the Highway 70 corridor where we see those heavier amounts to much lesser amounts further south,” said Mell.   “So, there’s going to be a pretty sharp delineation between the heavy snowfall and the lighter snowfall amounts.”

Most of northern Missouri is projected to receive 4-6 inches of snow during the storm. The central portion should see 2-3 inches while 1-2 inches is expected in southern Missouri.  Southwestern areas, including Joplin, could see less than an inch of snow.

The storm will hit the northwestern portion of the state as early as noon Friday while the rest of Missouri will see snow later on into the afternoon and nighttime hours.  Snowfall will exit the Kansas City area by 9 a.m. Saturday and as late as 6 p.m. moving east toward St. Louis.  Winds will increase out of the north with gusts of 30-35 mph Saturday.

Mell says driving could be hazardous in the early stages of the storm because rain will precede snow.  “We will see a lot of that rain flash freeze on the roadways, so there could be a layer of ice underneath the snowfall that comes later,” Mell said.

Behind the snow, temperatures are expected to drop significantly with wind chills in the single digits or lower through Sunday in many areas of the state.  The Missouri Department of Transportation notes the chemicals it’s using to treat the roads lose their effectiveness below 25 degrees.

Mell says there should be ample time to clear the roadways in and around Kansas City before the Chiefs playoff game Sunday evening. But he says those attending the game will have to brave the elements. “It is going to awfully cold, so make sure that you wear your warmest attire that you do have,” said Mell.

Postal Service asking for public help to ensure safe mail delivery

By

The U.S. Postal Service is asking customers to help with the safe delivery of mail after the weekend winter storm that left substantial snowfall in Missouri. Statements have been released from the agency’s Mid America District office in Kansas City and Great Lakes District office in St. Louis requesting that residents and businesses keep their walkways and sidewalks clear from snow and ice.

Image courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service

Kansas City, MO Postmaster Eddie Morgan, Jr. said the Postal Service wants to serve the public while maintaining the welfare of its workers. “No one wants to inconvenience the customer,” said Morgan, Jr. “However, we must ensure the safety of our employees.”

Gateway District Manager Charles A. Sciurba said clearing a path for delivery personnel will help them complete their tasks. “Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow,” said Sciurba. “Maintaining a clear path to the mailbox including steps, porches, walkways and street approach – will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service, and help them get the mail delivered.”

Customers receiving door delivery are advised to make sure their sidewalks, steps, and porches are clear. Those receiving curbside delivery are asked to remove snow piles left by plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Kim Caldwell-Harvey with the Postal Services Great Lakes office in St. Louis says mail carriers are being especially careful when trying to deliver large packages. “They will make an attempt to deliver the package,” said Caldwell-Harvey. “But if they can’t get up there safely they are taking the packages back to the office and leaving notices for customers to pick up.” She notes carriers may not be able to leave a notice if the mailbox is not accessible.

Stacy St. John with the Mid America District office in Kansas City says the public is being asked to assist in making sure mail is delivered in a timely manner. “We don’t want to inconvenience any of our postal customers,” said St. John. “However, we would like them to work with us so that we can safely make their deliveries without any interruption in their mail service.”

The Postal Service says blue collection boxes must also be kept clear for customers to deposit mail, and for workers to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are being asked to keep them clear of snow and ice.

The Mid America District office in Kansas City oversees processing and delivery centers in Kansas City, Springfield and Cape Girardeau and further handles delivery in Joplin and St. Joseph. St. John said the snowstorm had not impacted ground transfer of mail by semi-tractor-trailers. “I have not heard of any significant interruptions in that transportation, so we are business as usual this Monday,” St. John said.

The Great Lakes office in St. Louis handles mail distribution in St. Louis, Columbia, Jefferson City, Hannibal, and Sedalia, cities that were hit with mostly hit with double-digit snowfall totals. It operates two centers in the St. Louis area, including one in Hazelwood that sorts priority and commercial mail. The other center in St. Louis city handles first class mail and large envelopes. The Great Lakes district also has distribution outlets in Champaign and Springfield, Illinois.

Caldwell-Harvey with the Great Lakes office said she was not aware of any delays in tractor-trailer transportation of mail in her region due to the winter storm.

The Postal Service is asking customers to help keep their letter carriers safe after the winter storm through the following actions:

  1. Clear enough snow from curbside boxes to allow mail trucks to approach the box, deliver the mail and to drive away from the box without danger of the need for backing.
  2. Walkways should be cleared of snow and ice and allow enough traction to avoid slips, trips or falls.
  3. Steps should also be kept clear of ice and snow and in good repair so as not to cause injury to the letter carriers or others who visit the customer’s home.

Winter storm leaves double digit snowfall totals, 3rd biggest ever in mid-Missouri

By

The winter storm from Friday afternoon through Sunday left some of the largest snowfall amounts on record in central and eastern Missouri.  Columbia received its third highest dumping of snow ever, 16.9 inches.  The city was hit with 19.7 inches on January 20, 1995, and 18 inches on February 3, 2011.

Meteorologist Ben Herzog with the National Weather Service in St. Louis said members of the public observed some higher snowfall totals over the weekend than the official recording at the Columbia Airport.  “The highest we had was 20.3 inches, and that was at the University of Missouri (in Columbia),” said Herzog.  “There was another 20 inches in Montgomery City, 19 inches in Mexico, 17 in Fulton.  Jefferson City had 15 inches.”

The University of Missouri flagship campus in Columbia, which was shut down Friday, continues to be closed Monday because of the storm.  UM system offices are also closed, but all MU hospitals are open as is the Veterinary Health Center for emergencies. MU vice chancellor Gary Ward calls the weather event one of the worst storms the school has experienced.

KSSZ radio reports the highway patrol worked hundreds of crashes in mid-Missouri, but there were no reported deaths. More than nine thousand customers lost power in the city of Columbia alone at point. Many schools in mid-Missouri canceled classes Monday.

St. Louis received national media attention for being the westernmost large city in the storm that formed over Missouri and moved eastward leaving double-digit snowfall totals in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and numerous Atlantic coast states.  Total accumulation of snow in St. Louis from the weekend storm was 11.4 inches, well below the city’s high of 15.6 inches recorded on February 21, 1912.

Road incidents Friday night on I-44 in southern St. Louis County led to gridlock as the eastbound backup was 6-8 hours.  Herzog said some travelers spent the night on the highway.  Lighter weekend traffic allowed Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crews to catch up in plowing away most snow.  The agency was also able to treat roadways.

Herzog said the state was fortunate that freezing drizzle and icing of roads predicted for Sunday never materialized.  “The drizzle that formed that we were worried might freeze managed to not freeze as it hit the ground,” Herzog said.  “It mainly froze on elevated surfaces or plants or things like that.”

He said recent warm weather approaching 70 degrees in eastern and central Missouri helped to keep the ground and roads from freezing.  “That really helps keep that ground temperature pretty warm, and so going into events like this, that’s going to help melt a lot of the snow,” said Herzog.  “It’s going to help mitigate some of the impacts on roads, things like that.”

A line from Clinton in the west extending eastward through Lake Of The Ozarks over to Farmington south of St. Louis was the southern cutoff point for heavy snow.  Cities moving south from there received comparatively smaller snow totals.  A foot of snow was recorded as far west as Sedalia.

Meteorologist Scott Blair with the National Weather Service in Kansas City said the snowfall total at Kansas City International Airport was only 4.6 inches although there were heavier pockets in the metro area.  “There was a pretty good spread across the city,” said Blair.  “Most of the city saw between 5-11 inches.”  Kansas City’s heaviest snow total for a two-day event was 25 inches recorded in 1912.

KMBC-TV reports more than 50,000 customers remained without power in the Kansas City area last night because of branches and trees that fell during the weekend storm. Many Kansas City area schools canceled classes Monday.

Kirksville in northern Missouri received eight inches of snow, well short of its record of 13 inches in 1967.

Another winter storm is expected to drop snow in Missouri Friday night and Saturday.

———————————–

The winter storm warning for much of central and eastern Missouri has expired.  A light wintry mix of snow and freezing drizzle is likely today.  Additional snow accumulations of around a half inch or less are expected along with a light glaze of ice, mainly on elevated surfaces such as overpasses.

Snow removal in St. Louis (Photo courtesy of UPI)

The heaviest snowfall occurred in mid-Missouri where close to 16 inches fell Friday through early Sunday.  Locally heavier snowfall reached 20 inches in some areas. Highway and arterial road conditions have improved.  Early Sunday, I-70 was in fair condition while I-44 was in good condition.  Power was being restored to several thousand customers in Columbia Sunday morning who lost electricity.

——————————————————

The winter storm in Missouri is leaving substantial snowfall across the state, and ice could accumulate by Sunday morning.  Meteorologist Ben Herzog with the National Weather Service in St. Louis says the system will have an extensive reach.  “We’re looking at a pretty wide swath of snow, the heaviest of which is going to run, more or less along I-70, where we could see probably 8-12 inches of snow right now,” said Herzog.

The winter storm warning has been extended because snow and freezing drizzle is expected to last about 6 hours longer than previously forecast. Up to a tenth of an inch of ice could build up across the area by midday Sunday

The National Weather Service says there’ll be additional snowfall in the storm warning area through Sunday morning.  Up to six inches could fall in areas in and around Hannibal and Bowling Green in Northeast Missouri.  Up to five inches are expected in Columbia and Jefferson City in the central portion of the state.  An additional four inches could fall in St. Louis and Union in eastern Missouri, as well as one inch in Farmington and Centerville to the south.

Accumulations are expected to increase from west to east.  A total of up to 12 inches could fall inside the large warning area.  The storm was predicted to leave 1-2 inches of snow in southern Missouri and roughly six inches in the northwestern part of the states.  3-5 inches was expected in the Kansas City area.

Meteorologist Scott Blair with the National Weather Service in Kansas City says the level of snow will depend on where you are in the state.  “Any travelers from Springfield to St. Louis would see a rapid increase in the expected snowfall amounts,” said Blair.

According to Blair, the snow system is starting in Missouri because a rain system from the southwest is meeting with cold air over the state.  “That’s what’s going to give these high snowfall totals across a large portion of Missouri,” Blair said.

The cutoff for snowfall to the south is along the Missouri-Arkansas border.

The National Weather Service calls the current storm “memorable, but not record-breaking”.  St. Louis experienced 10.8 inches of snow on January5th, 2014.  The current storm would qualify as the biggest two-day snow event since 2014.  The heaviest January single day snowfall in St. Louis was 11.2 inches on January 31, 1958.  The biggest two-day snow event in St. Louis brought 15.6 inches in February of 1912.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is urging drivers to be on the lookout for slippery roads during the current storm and afterward.  The agency is also warning of possible traffic delays in the Kansas City area with the Chiefs divisional playoff game scheduled to start at 3:35 p.m. Saturday.  MoDOT is also advising that many students will be returning to college campuses after the winter break, which means more vehicles on the road.

The University of Missouri flagship campus in Columbia closed because of the winter storm.  The campus and UM system offices were shut down.  The Student Health Center and all MU Health Care hospitals remain open.

MoDOT brings in extra crews for Monday; Missouri troopers assist about 1,800 stranded motorists (AUDIO)

By

With 20 inches of snowfall reported on the ground in some places, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is bringing in extra crews for Monday morning’s commute in many parts of the state.

MoDOT senior maintenance worker James Pletka finishes a plowing shift in southeast Missouri’s Jackson on January 11, 2019 (photo courtesy of MoDOT)

MoDOT traffic communications specialist Joe Moore says many extra crew members will also be coming in overnight.

“Just to make sure that the early-morning commute is safer for all of the travelers here in Missouri,” Moore says.

MoDOT is also warning you to be careful Monday morning while driving, noting that roads could freeze overnight.

Moore says crews were able to “get ahead of the storm” on Friday.

“Working with our partners and getting the message out really helped us reduce the amount of travelers on the road, which then allowed us to get out there and keep it safe for those who needed to be out and about,” says Moore.

MoDOT used about 1,500 trucks and about 3,000 operators during the storm, primarily on Friday and Saturday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it responded to at least four fatalities and more than 875 crashes during the blizzard, as of Saturday afternoon. State troopers say they responded to about 1,800 stranded motorists this weekend and about 4,000 calls for service.

A St. Louis city employee uses a brush machine to clear snow off sidewalks in downtown St. Louis on January 12, 2019 (photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says mid-Missouri saw the highest snowfall totals this weekend. East-central Missouri’s Montgomery City received more than 20 inches of snow, while Columbia received about 16 inches. Ashland and Fulton reported 17 inches, while Audrain County’s Mexico had more than 19 inches.

The St. Louis metropolitan region received about 11 inches of snowfall. While that’s less than Columbia and Montgomery City, MoDOT’s Moore says the timing of Friday’s snowstorm in St. Louis made it worse.

“That was the worst in St. Louis trying to work with the snow compacted with the rush hour traffic,” says Moore.

The NWS says the west St. Louis County suburb of Ballwin received about 12 inches of snow, while eastern Missouri’s Troy had 11 inches. Troy is located in Lincoln County, and many people who live there commute to St. Louis for work.

The blizzard has also forced the University of Missouri to close Columbia’s Mizzou campus and UM System offices again on Monday.

“This is one of the worst snowstorms we’ve experienced,” Mizzou vice chancellor Gary Ward says. All MU Health Care hospitals will remain open.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and MoDOT traffic communications specialist Joe Moore, which was recorded on January 13, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet