Major snowstorm snarls travel from St. Louis to Columbus this weekend
This ambulance in Eureka, Missouri, was spotted trying to get out of snow on Interstate 44 in the midst of a winter storm on Jan. 11.
As the snowstorm winds down in the Midwest, it is focusing on the mid-Atlantic. For the latest information on the storm impacts there, please visit this news story. For live updates on the snowstorm, click here.
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Motorists along the Interstate 70 corridor of the Midwest can expect a slow and dangerous journey as a major snowstorm continues through Saturday night.
In many areas from Missouri to southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, this will be the biggest snowfall in what has been a lean cold weather season so far for some locations.
That has already been the case in St. Louis, where 10.9 inches was reported on Saturday evening. This storm will be the biggest snowstorm since Jan. 5, 2014, when 10.8 inches of snow fell.
While the snow has come to an end across Kansas, it will take until Saturday night to taper off across the states of the upper Ohio valley.
Through that time, the heaviest snow left 6-12 inches from Kansas City to St. Louis to Indianapolis. Within this heaviest snow area, there were isolated reports of up to 18 inches.
Snow is also streaking eastward to Columbus, Ohio.
"In much of a swath from Missouri to southern Ohio, this snow will be heavy and wet and a strain to shovel," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger.
"Weak tree limbs may give way under the weight of the snow and lead to power outages," Deger added.
"For cities such as Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky and others, this will be the first significant snowstorm of the cold weather season," according to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams.
"Extra caution is advised when traveling as some motorists may be rusty with their winter driving skills," Abrams said.
Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland will be on the northern edge of the storm. The snow may leave a slippery coating around Detroit and Cleveland, while moisture from Lake Michigan can produce a little boost in the snow around Chicago.
"Snow has changed to rain along the southern Ohio River, and the return of any meaningful snowfall is not anticipated," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
Airline passengers in the central United States hubs from Kansas City to St. Louis, Cincinnati and Chicago can expect direct impacts due to snow with flight delays, changes and cancellations.
Indirect impacts on flights can occur in Detroit, Minneapolis and Dallas and other smaller regional airports as crews and aircrafts are displaced.
Heavy snow arrived in St. Louis early Friday afternoon, causing significant travel disruptions for the Friday evening commute. Some motorists were stuck on I-44 for hours due to widespread accidents and snow-covered highways.
There is a chance this storm enters the list of top five snowstorms on record for the Gateway to the West.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the end time of the storm as well as how much snow is predicted for your area.
A bit of snow may linger into Sunday over portions of the Ohio Valley and around St. Louis as the bulk of the storm affects parts of the southern Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic coast.
A turn to calmer weather for the first half of the new week will allow travel and daily routines to quickly get back to normal, but motorists and those traveling by foot will have to watch for icy spots each night and early morning as slush from the day refreezes at night.
More winter storms and Arctic air are in the offing for later this month.
How can you stay healthy this winter season? Tune in to find out! Join host Regina Miller and her guest Dr. Anthony Ng, senior physician executive at Northern Light Acadia Hospital and Chief of Psychiatry at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, as they discuss Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. Also, Staff Education Coordinator for Centre LifeLink EMS Frank Cianfrani discusses cardiac and respiratory care as it relates to winter activities and provides suggestions on how to stay safe this winter.
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