KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Another winter blast hit Missouri Friday, causing multiple accidents, closing schools and leaving highway experts to warn motorists to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
Several sections of Interstate 70 between Kansas City and Columbia were particularly treacherous. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said on Twitter that one person died in a crash involving at least 15 vehicles near Oak Grove, 27 miles west of Kansas City. The patrol did not immediately provide further information on the wreck.
Several tractor-trailers were involved in a crash on I-70 near Concordia. I-70 was closed at Columbia due to several crashes. A major accident also was reported near St. Joseph.
In central Missouri, westbound U.S. 54 near Opie Road between Eugene and Eldon in Miller County was closed early Friday afternoon due to a multiple-vehicle crash, and eastbound I-70 between mile markers 124 and 127 in Boone County was backed up due to multiple crashes.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory Friday for all but the extreme northeast corner of Missouri. Several schools closed early, including the University of Missouri's Columbia campus.
The slippery snow was the latest storm to hit Missouri this winter. The Missouri Department of Transportation's traveler map showed most major roadways in western and central Missouri covered.
In St. Louis, several cars slid off roads after the snow began falling around noon, even though MoDOT crews had spent Thursday pre-treating the roads.
Snow accumulations are expected to vary across the state. Kansas City could get up to 6 inches of snow. The St. Louis area is expected to get 1-3 inches of snow, but the arrival just before evening rush hour created concern of a repeat of a similarly-timed January storm that left some motorists stranded for several hours.