WINTER WEATHER UPDATES: Extreme cold blankets Mid-Missouri after snow
Thursday afternoon weather update.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
UPDATE 8:55 P.M.: "Much of the state remains covered or partially covered at 8:45 p.m.," according to a tweet from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Much of the state remains covered or partially covered at 8:45 p.m. Check the Traveler Information Map before heading out. Use caution if you must travel. https://t.co/7HNSYP4DNw pic.twitter.com/8mfWyVYuhM
— MoDOT (@MoDOT) December 23, 2022
MoDOT also said Interstate 44 reopened at 6:42 p.m. after it was closed in Laclede County before 1 p.m.
UPDATE 3:45 P.M.: "Dangerous wind chills" of 15 to 20 degrees below zero have moved into Mid-Missouri, the National Weather Service said.
The mass of bitterly cold air that followed the snow has reached east-central Missouri and into Illinois and it will continue to spread eastward, the weather monitoring agency says.
Those windchills are destined to stick around for a while. They will drop into the 25 to 30 below zero range into Friday morning, rising to about 15 to 20 below Friday afternoon. By Saturday wind chill will climb above zero.
As of 400 pm, bitterly cold air continues to spread eastward and intensify across the area in the wake of the earlier Arctic front passage. Dangerous wind chills of 15 to 25 below zero have spread into east-central MO and western IL. #stlwx #mowx #ilwx pic.twitter.com/fsUy8eZVZl
— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) December 22, 2022
State highways in Mid-Missouri continued to be covered or partly covered with snow, the Missouri Department of Transportation reported. The high winds are also causing a problem with blowing snow that hinders visibility, the Missouri State Highway Patrol warned.
MoDOT reported a closure on Interstate 44 in Laclede County at mile marker 142.
Despite that, local emergency officials say there have been relatively few crashes with most people staying off the roads. Columbia police officers had responded to seven crashes between about 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. The city said all high-priority roads are in passable condition.
UPDATE 1:35 P.M.: Columbia's Solid Waste Utility said it will suspend curbside trash and recycling collection on Friday because of the extreme cold. Trash for those customers will be picked up next Friday but recycling will remain on its alternating weekly schedule.
Customers will scheduled bulky item and appliance pickups will be called to reschedule.
Lows overnight Thursday are expected to approach 10 degrees below zero, with a windchill of minus-35 degrees. The high will top out Friday around 6 degrees.
In the interest of safety for personnel during the forecast extremely cold temperatures, the City of Columbia Solid Waste Utility will suspend curbside collections and non-essential commercial collections Friday, Dec. 23.
— Columbia Water&Light (@CoMoWaterLight) December 22, 2022
UPDATE 11:45 A.M.: State highways around Mid-Missouri were getting more covered with snow as noon approached Thursday.
The Missouri Department of Transportation's Central District said in a tweet at about 11:30 a.m. that crews were seeing increasing coverage on the roads. Most state highways in Mid-Missouri by that time were either covered or partly covered with snow, the agency said.
Interstate 70 was partially covered while Highway 63 and highways in and around Columbia were considered covered, according to MoDOT's traveler information map.
🚗❄️12/22/22 11:30am WINTER ROAD CONDITION UPDATE 🚗❄️
— MoDOT Central District (@MoDOT_Central) December 22, 2022
Snow is starting to stick, leading to most roads across the district being covered and partly covered. Visibility remains low due to blowing snow. #WinterWx #MidMoTraffic
Track conditions here: https://t.co/iBfxzq3Hiv pic.twitter.com/5D9oLfHV4i
ORIGINAL: Columbia Public Works said Thursday morning that crews are out salting roads but that salt would become ineffective by afternoon.
The temperature at the Columbia Regional Airport had plummeted to about 10 degrees by 9 a.m. That temperature was accompanied by winds gusting at more than 30 mph, creating blowing snow.
ABC 17 News weather cameras placed around Mid-Missouri showed near whiteout conditions in some areas Thursday morning.
Columbia Public Works said its crews started their day at 4 a.m., with a full 30-person crew coming on duty at 5 a.m. They were applying salt to roads and concentrating on slick spots such as bridges and overpasses and first- and second-priority roads.
"By noon, salt is expected to have almost no effect at all and the only road treatment available to crews will be physically plowing the snow," Columbia Public Works said in a social media post. "Crews will be primarily focused on first, second and third priority roads, which are the City's main arterial and collector routes."
Snow was expected to continue throughout the day, with high winds and bitter cold extending beyond that. The National Weather Service warned of 1 to 3 inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 45 mph.
Visibility is definitely hampered from not just blowing snow but other vehicles!
— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) December 22, 2022
✅ Headlights on!
✅ Slow down
✅ Increase following distance
✅Seatbelts ON!#mowx pic.twitter.com/QfAQsNIRra
The Missouri Department of Transportation's online traveler map showed most major state highways were mostly clear as of 9:30 a.m.
Boone County crews were also out applying salt to residential streets.
Several organizations and government offices also closed their doors Thursday because of the weather.
Check back for updates throughout the day.
