Update as of 3:22 p.m. Wednesday, January 10:
Many area schools remained closed or had altered schedules this morning as a result of the winter weather.
Callaway and Fulton Public Schools stuck to snow routes today, and Columbia Public Schools had a 2-hour delayed start this morning in response to icy roads.
As of 3:22 p.m. today, about 1,300 households in northern Missouri remain without power.
According toMacon Electric Cooperative’s Facebook page, crews from Callaway Electric, Howard Electric and Boone Electric have been dispatched to assist.
According to the cooperative, 11 crews are working to restore broken poles and weighed down lines across the area, and several employees have been working around the clock over the past 2 days to restore power, some with little to no sleep.
Though Macon electric is not able to provide a timeframe for restoration, they will continue to provide updates on their Facebook page – including the locations of warming centers throughout the region.
Update as of 7:48 a.m. Wednesday, January 10:
Many mid-Missouri schools are on another snow day today after the first big winter storm of the season descended across the state Monday and Tuesday, impacting road conditions and causing power outages in northern Missouri.
Schools in Moberly, Mexico, Boonville, Hallsville and Centralia school districts are among those that remain closed today. Jefferson City and Columbia schools are on a two-hour delayed start today. Here's a complete list from KOMU of school and community weather closures.
About 2,900 people in northern Missouri counties remained without power this morning as utility crews with Macon Electric worked to restore outages in a nine-county region including Adair, Knox, Linn, Randolph, Chariton, Shelby, Sullivan, Monroe and Macon counties.
According to the Facebook page for Macon Electric, warming centers have been set up across the region for anyone needing shelter, including shelters hosted at the Shelbina library, the city halls in Clarence and Hunnewell, Callao Christian Church, and Bevier First Baptist Church among others.
Most National Weather Service advisories for this storm system across the state are now lifted - but large portions of the state, including areas around Kirksville, Sedalia, Osage Beach, Rolla, and southeast Missouri are under a new Hazardous Weather Outlook advisory for a winter system expected to enter the region tomorrow night and Friday.
This story will be updated.
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Update as of 5:29 p.m. Tuesday, January 9:
As of 5:00 today, Macon Electric Cooperative still reports approximately 4,500 outages across multiple counties – including Adair, Chariton, Knox, Linn, Macon, Monroe, Randolph, Shelby and Sullivan counties.
According to their Facebook page, all of the Macon Electric crews have been dispatched, as well as crews from co-ops in surrounding areas. Due to the widespread outages, warming centers have been set up across the nine-county region for anyone needing shelter.
Overnight temperatures throughout the region are expected to be in the low 20s and upper teens.
This story may be updated.
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Update as of 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, January 9:
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says since Monday’s winter conditions rolled in, it has responded to 1,263 rescue calls, with 488 of those incidents involving stranded motorists or cars slid off the roadway. That number includes 475 traffic accidents, with 415 of those non-injury accidents. Sixty-six of the accidents did involve injuries, with two accident-related deaths.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz says the worst road conditions are in the northern part of the state.
"Right now everything north of I-70 all the way across the state we're seeing roadways that are completely covered or partly covered with snow and ice," Hotz said.
Travelers are advised to use caution, go slow, and check road conditions on MoDOT’s Road Condition Map.
This story may be updated.
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Update as of 3:02 p.m. Tuesday, January 9:
As of 3:02 p.m. today (Tuesday), Macon Electric Cooperative reports more than 5,000 outages across the multiple counties – including Adair, Chariton, Knox, Linn, Macon, Monroe, Randolph, Shelby and Sullivan counties.
According to their Facebook page, all of the Macon Electric crews have been dispatched, as well as crews from Boone Electric Cooperative.
They said they’re working to “quickly and safely” restore power and ask for continued patience – especially from customers calling in, as they are “currently overloaded with incoming calls.”
The city of Columbia is currently reporting no outages, Boone Electric Cooperative is reporting one customer being impacted and Ameren Missouri reports 520 customers currently without service.
- Macon Electric Cooperative Outage Map –here.
- City of Columbia Utilities Outage Map – here.
- Boone Electric Cooperative Outage Map – here.
- Ameren Missouri Outage Map – here.
This story will be updated.
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Update as of 12:07 p.m. Tuesday, January 9:
Much of Missouri remains under winter weather advisories until midnight tonight (Tuesday) with forecasters expecting up to three inches of snow across parts of central Missouri. The northern part of the state including Kirksville is under a winter storm warning with up to eight inches of snow expected with more snowfall this afternoon.
National Weather Service forecasters say the conditions are creating slippery road conditions affecting travel. Residents are urged to avoid unnecessary travel on roads. When travel is necessary drivers are advised to take an extra flashlight, food and water.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is urging drivers to use caution and avoid going on state roadways today. Drivers are advised to also take a fully charged cell phone and to pull well off of roadways before making a call if needed. Travelers are also advised to check road conditions on MoDOT’s Road Condition Map here.
The Red Cross of Central and Northern Missouri, which helps communities with disaster response, released a statement saying their teams are working with local emergency management officials to offer support on winter storm response.
Rebecca Gordon is the executive director of the Red Cross of Central and Northern Missouri. She urged travelers to plan ahead and to adjust travel plans when possible.
“It’s also important to have an emergency kit in your car with water, snacks, medicines, phone chargers and other essentials in case you become stranded,” she said in the email statement. The Red Cross also offers winter storm tips for staying safe at home and keeping pets safe during a winter storm.
The City of Columbia has had plow crews clearing priority roadways Monday evening and Tuesday morning, with up to two inches of snow expected in the city. Columbia Public Schools and the Daniel Boone Regional Library are closed Tuesday. Columbia updates can be found at the City of Columbia’s winter storm page. And for a complete and updated list of mid-Missouri school closures, follow KOMU’s weather closings page here.
This story will be updated.
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Monday, January 8, 4 p.m.:
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A “highly impactful” winter storm is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow Monday across the country's midsection, where blizzard and winter storm warnings are in effect.
The storm has the potential to bring 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) of snow to a broad area stretching from southeastern Colorado and western Kansas, through eastern Nebraska, large parts of Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois, up toward the upper peninsula of Michigan, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
“So a very, very highly impactful event coming forward,” Oravec said.
There were widespread school closing across eastern Nebraska on Monday ahead of the storm, where forecasters predicted 5 to 8 inches (12 to 20 centimeters) of snow. The district that includes the state capital, Lincoln, is among those where students were told to stay home. Lines were long Sunday at a Target Store drive-up in Omaha as residents stocked up on milk, bread and booze ahead of the storm.
Federal courts in Omaha and Lincoln closed at noon Monday. Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced they began increasing the flow through a Missouri River dam that sits on the Nebraska-South Dakota border near Yankton by 2,000 cubic feet per second to reduce the chance of ice jams forming.
The National Weather Service office in Des Moines, Iowa, warned of the potential for “widespread heavy, possibly extreme, snowfall,” with snowfalls of up to 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters), “significant impacts” to Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes, and possible whiteout conditions at times.
The threatening weather has already affected campaigning for Iowa’s Jan. 15 precinct caucuses, where the snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below 0 degrees (-18 Celsius) by caucus day next week. It forced former President Donald Trump’s campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had been scheduled to court Iowa voters on Trump’s behalf Monday.
In South Dakota, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken urged residents not to travel Monday if they did not have to, and to give snowplows time and patience so they can clear the roads.
Parts of northern Missouri braced for up to a foot of snow. Officials in Kansas City, Missouri, announced City Hall would be closed Tuesday and municipal courts would operate remotely.
Much of western and southern Minnesota as well as west-central Wisconsin were under winter storm warnings or advisories with snow accumulations of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) predicted.
In Wisconsin, cancellations were already starting Monday morning, with forecasts prompting the state Homeland Security Council to call off a Tuesday meeting in Madison. The council advises Gov. Tony Evers on security issues. The state’s capital city was under a winter storm warning until early Wednesday morning with as much as 9 inches (23 centimeters) of snow and 40 mph (64 kph) winds on tap. City officials canceled garbage collection Tuesday morning to prevent residents from putting trash cans along cubs and making it difficult for snowplows to navigate.
Northwestern Illinois was also under a winter storm warning with forecasts calling or 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 centimeters) of snow by early Wednesday morning. The Chicago area as well as Gary, Indiana, were under winter storm advisories, with forecasts calling for up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow by Tuesday evening and wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48 kph) in Chicago. Snowfall rates could exceed an inch per hour during the day Tuesday, the weather service said.
The storm follows a separate storm that has moved off the East Coast after dumping over a foot of snow Sunday on parts of Pennsylvania, New York state and portions of New England, Oravec said.
And another storm is on the way that will affect the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies, he said. Blizzard warnings were out for much of the Cascade and Olympic ranges in Washington and Oregon.
