School districts announce closures ahead of more snow Wednesday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several Mid-Missouri school districts announced Wednesday closures on Tuesday afternoon, as bitter cold kept snow clinging to some roads with more on the way.

South Callaway, Mexico, Eugene, Tuscumbia and Versailles were among the public school districts calling off Wednesday classes or taking classes all online. Columbia Public Schools students are already out of school each Wednesday.

The sky was clear Tuesday but more snow is expected to fall on Mid-Missouri starting early Wednesday. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team forecasts another 1 to 3 inches of snow could accumulate on top of the several inches already on the ground across the area.

Bitter cold has also blanketed the area for several days, with a record low of 8 degrees below zero set Tuesday morning at the Columbia Regional Airport. Temperatures are on an upward trend but will remain in the single digits and teens overnight, rendering road treatments less effective.

Road crews made progress Tuesday on heavily traveled routes, aided by abundant sunshine. The Missouri Department of Transportation's traveler information map showed highways in Mid-Missouri were mostly clear or partly covered. Authorities warned drivers Tuesday that road conditions would get worse overnight and Wednesday morning.

Highway patrol troopers in Mid-Missouri had worked nine crashes between midnight and mid-afternoon Tuesday, with 100 calls for service.