Winter Storm Blankets US Great Plains With Snow

Much of the nation's heartland awoke Thursday to heavy snow, treacherous roads and a day off from work or school as a large, potentially dangerous winter storm pushed eastward out of the Rockies.

Winter storm warnings were issued from eastern Colorado through Illinois. More than a foot of snow was expected in some places; a slippery mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain in others. Schools cancelled classes, sporting events had to reschedule and even lawmakers were staying home. Hundreds of flights were cancelled.

Kelly Sugden, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Dodge City, Kan., said early Thursday that the storm, which had been moving slower than expected, clipped Colorado and western Kansas on Wednesday and was "starting to get back together."

"It's very active," Sugden said, noting the snowfall in some places was mixed with lightning and sleet showers. On Thursday morning, Kansas City, Mo., experienced rare "thundersnow" — heavy snowfall accompanied by occasional thunder.

Sugden said forecasters weren't expecting blizzard conditions to develop in Kansas, but the Interstate 70 corridor could get as much as 13 inches of snow, and large drifts would make for treacherous driving conditions.

Near the Nebraska-Kansas border, as much as 8 inches fell overnight, while western Nebraska saw about half of that amount, National Weather Service forecaster Shawn Jacobs said Thursday.

Some parts of Oklahoma also had up to 8 inches of snow by Thursday morning, and the weather caused a fatal wreck Wednesday. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 18-year-old Cody Alexander of Alex, Okla., died when his pickup truck skidded on a slushy roadway into oncoming traffic on a state highway and struck a truck. The other driver wasn't seriously injured.

In northern Arkansas, a school bus crashed Wednesday on a steep, snowy country road, leaving three students and the driver with minor injuries. Pope County Sheriff Aaron Duval said the bus slid off a road on Crow Mountain, nearly flipping before it was stopped by trees.

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[l ortiz]

And still there are those who deny there is nothing going on with the weather !!!!!!!

[Shabbernigdo]

i jave a jeep all this show dosent mean shit to me.

[BellyDiva14]

Plainville Kansas received 9 inches of snow by 10 pm last night, and this am it was a total of 14 inches.