Midwest covered with snow
ST. LOUIS >> A massive winter snowstorm that blanketed several Midwest states was a factor in at least five road deaths Saturday and forced the grounds crew to scramble to clear snow from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of the NFL divisional 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 the 44 Freeway 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 the 65 Freeway were closed for hours Saturday after a big-rig jackknifed along the snowcovered highway near Lafayette, about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
The storm began to spread east into the mid-Atlantic region, with 5-10 inches of snow expected in the Washington area, including parts of northern and central Maryland, by today. Forecasters said heavy snow could fall in mountain areas north of the 64 Freeway, such as Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia.
Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency Saturday night to help the state of Virginia prepare.
Missouri had gotten the worst of the storm by Saturday, with the National Weather Service reporting more than a foot of snow Saturday morning in some places around St. Louis and Jefferson City, and more than 18 inches in Columbia.
In Kansas City, where the Chiefs were hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, about 8 inches of snow had fallen by early afternoon.
The snow had tapered off by the time the game started midafternoon, but stadium crews worked for hours before the game to clear the stadium’s lot, field and seats in anticipation of a full house for the playoff game.
At least five people were killed in crashes on slick roadways in Kansas and Missouri. They included a woman and her 14-yearold stepdaughter whose car slid into the path of a big-rig in Clinton, about 80 miles southeast of Kansas City, on Friday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
Another woman died, officials said, when her car slid on the 24 Freeway in northern Missouri and was hit by an oncoming SUV.
In Kansas, a 62-year-old man died after his pickup truck skidded on the Kansas Turnpike and hit a concrete barrier, according to the patrol. Another crash involving two big-rigs in snowy conditions that killed a 41-year-old driver from Mexico, the patrol said.
At Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, most flights were canceled or delayed.
In central Missouri, officials said about 12,000 households and businesses were without power in Columbia and the surrounding area at one point.