The Latest: Mid-Atlantic braces for winter storm
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Latest on a winter storm sweeping across parts of the Midwest this weekend (all times local):
5:20 p.m.
Indiana State Police say northbound lanes of Interstate 65 have been closed for hours after a semitruck jackknifed along the snow-covered highway in northern Indiana.
Trooper Nathan Hampton says I-65’s northbound lanes were closed shortly after the 12:30 p.m. accident near Lafayette, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.
Those lanes remained closed at 4:30 p.m. at the highway’s intersection with State Road 25, but Hampton said they were expected to reopen to traffic by early evening once the crash site is cleaned up.
He says a winter storm that brought heavy snow Saturday to parts of Indiana led to nearly 20 vehicle slide-offs that state police responded to in the Lafayette district.
State police urged Indiana residents not to travel if they don’t have to because roads remain slick.
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3 p.m.
The Mid-Atlantic region is bracing for a winter storm that’s already made travel treacherous across the Midwest.
The storm moved into Kansas and Nebraska from the Rockies on Friday, then east into Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Snow is covering roads in those states. More than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow has fallen in some places around St. Louis. Authorities say the storm has contributed to at least five traffic deaths.
The system was spreading into the Mid-Atlantic region Saturday afternoon. Between 3 and 6 inches (7 and 15 centimeters) is expected in the Washington area, including parts of northern and central Maryland, by Sunday.
Forecasters say heavier snow and higher amounts could fall in mountain areas north of Interstate 64, such as Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia. Lower accumulations are expected in Delaware and Baltimore, as well as around Richmond, where precipitation Sunday should be freezing rain. Southwest Virginia could see 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of snow.
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2:35 p.m.
The Illinois State Police says that troopers along the Mississippi River across from St. Louis have responded to more than 100 traffic collisions during the winter storm that’s rolling through the Midwest.
Trooper John Korando says one crash killed a 73-year-old man on Friday, but it’s not yet known whether weather was a factor. The storm has contributed to at least five traffic deaths in Kansas and Missouri.
He says that since the snow began falling Friday, troopers in District 11 in southwestern Illinois have been called to 114 crashes and a total of 261 incidents, many of which involved vehicles that had veered off roadways into ditches.
The storm moved into Kansas and Nebraska from the Rockies on Friday, then east into Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Snow is covering roads and making driving dangerous. More than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow has fallen in some places around St. Louis.
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12:35 p.m.
Authorities in Kansas and Missouri have reported at least five killed in crashes as a winter storm sweeps across the Midwest.
The storm moved into Kansas and Nebraska from the Rockies on Friday, then east into Missouri and Illinois. Snow is covering roads and making driving dangerous. Up to 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow was reported in St. Louis.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says that among those killed in crashes were a woman and her 14-year-old stepdaughter whose car slid into the path of a semitrailer on Friday in Clinton, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City. Another woman died when her car slid on U.S. 24 in northern Missouri and was hit by an oncoming SUV.
In Kansas, the Highway Patrol says a 62-year-old man died after his pickup truck skidded on the Kansas Turnpike and hit a concrete barrier. The patrol says another crash involving two semitrailers in snowy conditions killed a 41-year-old driver from Mexico.
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11:40 a.m.
A winter storm sweeping across parts of the Midwest has snarled traffic in several states and left thousands without power.
The storm moved into Kansas and Nebraska from the Rockies on Friday, then east into Missouri and Illinois, covering roads and making driving dangerous. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says nearly 300 vehicles had slid off roads across the state and more than 175 crashes had been reported by late Saturday morning.
By late morning Saturday, officials had reported nearly 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, where most flights were canceled or delayed.
In central Missouri, officials said about 12,000 households and businesses were without power in Columbia and the surrounding area.
The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories for Missouri, as well as Illinois and Indiana.
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