Plane slides off taxiway in icy weather as storm hits Midwest

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A plane slid off an icy taxiway at Kansas City International Airport on Friday as a sprawling winter storm hits large sections of the Midwest and beyond, leading to the closure of schools, universities and government offices.

The Delta Air Lines flight was taxiing to be de-iced before flying to Detroit when the nosegear slipped off the taxiway, said Delta spokeswoman Martha Witt. There were no reports of injuries aboard the Airbus A319, which was carrying 123 passengers and a crew of six. Witt said the airline was trying to put passengers from Delta flight 1114 on other planes.

The airport was closed and numerous flights were canceled in the morning but flights resumed about noon. Most Friday flights from Nashville, Tennessee, were canceled, likely disrupting travel plans for fans of the Tennessee Titans flying into Kansas City for Sunday's AFC championship game with the Chiefs, KCTV reported.

Lambert lnternational Airport in St. Louis reported more than 130 flights canceled as of noon Friday and American Airlines suspended all flights to Missouri's Columbia Regional Airport until noon Saturday.

The slippery conditions come after the National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories, saying the storm will create hazardous travel conditions from the Plains into the Northeast through the weekend. Snow is forecast over much of the Great Lakes, with a blizzard warning for parts of the Upper Midwest.

The winter weather advisory extended south into western Oklahoma and northern Arkansas, where freezing rain was expected Friday.

In South Dakota and Minnesota, dozens of schools canceled classes Friday ahead of snowfall expected during the day.

In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly closed state offices in the Topeka area, urging people in a news release to "stay safe and warm, exercise caution and allow road crews to do their job."

A storm that hit during the morning commute Friday coated the roads of Salt Lake City with up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of snow. Advance warning allowed a delayed start for state government and some schools, which kept the number of crashes to a relatively low 75, police said.