9 die in wintry crashes in several Midwestern states

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- At least nine people have died in weather-related crashes in several Midwestern states amid a storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow in places, forced schools to close and snarled traffic, authorities said.

The wintry weather was part of a storm system that hit parts of the Midwest and was expected to extend into the Northeast through today, the National Weather Service said.

In Missouri, the storm dumped 3 to 9 inches of snow across of the state. Much of Missouri was under either a winter weather advisory or winter storm warning Monday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said three people were killed Sunday night when a driver lost control and overturned on U.S. 67 in St. Francois County in the eastern part of the state. A motorist who was stranded after a previous crash and two good Samaritans who were trying to help were struck.

And in mid-Missouri's Callaway County, an 18-year-old was killed when his vehicle went off the side of Highway 94 and overturned.

Washington University sophomore Jonah Goldberg uses a sled to keep the falling snow out of his face as he and his friends walk back to their dorm after sledding Monday at Art Hill in Forest Park in St. Louis.David Carson ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

The patrol also said in a tweet Sunday night it had responded to 525 calls from stranded motorists and to nearly 560 other traffic crashes. The University of Missouri started classes late Monday because of the storm.

In Nebraska, a crash Sunday on Interstate 80 northeast of Lincoln left three passengers ages 10, 15 and 19 dead. The crash happened when the driver of an eastbound sport utility vehicle lost control amid slick conditions, struck another eastbound vehicle before veering into the median, rolling and entering the westbound lanes. The SUV was then hit by a car and a pickup truck, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

In Kansas, the storm brought up to 11 inches of snow. The Kansas Department of Transportation said multiple roads are partially or completely snow covered. A 21-year-old man died Sunday when a pickup truck in which he was riding overturned on an icy Wichita road.

Weather also is believed to be a factor in a Monday collision between an SUV and a pickup truck that killed a woman and her adult son along a road east of Indianapolis following a night of snowfall, police said. Fifty-four-year-old Amy Cox and her 24-year-old son, Isaac Cox, of New Palestine, were pronounced dead at the scene.

At St. Louis Lambert International Airport, about 20 departing flights and 20 arriving flights were canceled as of 6 a.m. Monday because of the winter storm. Lambert said in a tweet crews worked through the night and the landing strips were in good condition.

The storm also closed the University of Missouri and Emporia State University in Kansas.