WINTER WHITEOUT
A MASSIVE winter snow- storm that blanketed several Midwest states was a factor in at least five road deaths on Saturday and forced the grounds crew to scramble to clear snow from m Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas nsas City ahead of the NFL divisional sional playoff game.
The storm moved into Kansas and Nebraska from the Rockies on Friday, then east into Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, covering roads and making driving dangerous. Part of Interstate 44 near St Louis was blocked for several hours Saturday, and at one point the Missouri State Highway Patrol warned of traffic delays as long as eight hours.
In Indiana, the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 were closed for hours Saturday after a semitruck jackknifed along the snow-covered highway near Lafayette, about 105kms northwest of Indianapolis.
The storm began to spread east into the Mid-Atlantic region, with between
13cms to 25cms of snow expected in the Washington area, including parts of northern and central Maryland yesterday.
Forecasters said heavy snow could fall in mountain areas north of Interstate 64, such as Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia. Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency on Saturday night to help the state of Virginia prepare.
At least five people were killed in crashes on slick roadways in Kansas and Missouri. They included a woman and her 14-year-old stepdaughter, whose car slid into the path of a semitrailer southeast of Kansas City.