Snow, strong winds causing disruptions in NW Mo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Authorities are responding to numerous traffic crashes and slide offs in the northwest part of Missouri after a winter storm blanketed the area with several inches of snow.

The Missouri Department of Transportation closed Interstate U.S. 29 from St. Joseph to the Iowa border because of dangerous driving conditions.

Emergency shelters for stranded travelers were set up along the interstate in St. Joseph, Mound City and Rock Port. But only one person had shown up by noontime. Commercial weigh stations along Interstates 29 and 35 and Missouri 36 are also open as emergency shelters in the northwest part of the state.

At the height of the storm, Kansas City Power & Light reported about 40,000 outages in Missouri and Kansas. But the outage total had shrunk to 15,000 by midday.

Online:

MoDOT traveler information and highway condition map