Snow snarls morning commutes from Kansas City to Springfield

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- Snow following a major storm system snarled morning traffic across southwest and western Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Missouri Department of Transportation reported multiple accidents and slide-offs but no serious injuries. A 12-car pileup near Springfield closed Interstate 44 for about an hour.

Department of Transportation spokesman Earl Wallace in the Springfield district said snow flurries turned to ice on bridges and highway ramps around 6:30 a.m.

"When those things freeze, they all go at the same time," Wallace said.

Salt trucks were ready and started spreading, but it took a while to get to all the slick spots.

In the Kansas City area, heavier snow fell starting late Tuesday and snarled Wednesday morning traffic.

The Transportation Department's Kansas City office said snow amounts in that district ranged from one or two inches to six inches in parts of Platte and Clay counties.

"We had trucks clearing the interstate system last night, but once you got on the off-ramps, those were slick," said Terry Stowell from the department's Kansas City office.

Forecasters had issued winter storm and winter weather warnings across much of western and southwest Missouri until midday.

The snow followed on the back of severe thunderstorms that moved through the area from the west Tuesday, dropping temperatures from the 60s Tuesday morning to the mid-20s 24 hours later.