Winter mix causes problems in eastern Mo.

ST. LOUIS -- On Monday, the wind chill was below zero in parts of Missouri and a mix of sleet, freezing rain and a little snow caused several schools to close and made for a slow morning commute.

The wintry mix was enough to cause several wrecks, at least two of them deadly. It also slowed the morning commute, especially in St. Louis. But it wasn't as bad as some forecasters had predicted -- amounting to less than an inch in most places.

The bitter chill arrived suddenly as a cold front scooted across the state Sunday afternoon and evening. Temperatures in some cases dropped 30 degrees in about an hour.

By Monday morning, temperatures were in the single digits in the northern part of the state. Wind chill readings in northeast Missouri dipped down to 15 degrees below zero on Monday morning. High temperatures were mainly in the teens around the state. In some places to the north, the wind chill never got above zero.

Slippery roads were blamed for two fatal crashes Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Around 1:50 p.m., a 51-year-old Cairo, Ill., man was killed and his two passengers were injured when his vehicle slid into the path of a tractor-trailer on an icy stretch of U.S. 60 in New Madrid County.

Less than 10 minutes later in Butler County, a 40-year-old Doniphan woman was killed when she lost control of her vehicle on an icy patch of U.S. 67 and collided with an oncoming vehicle. Her 18-year-old passenger and three occupants of the other vehicle were injured in the wreck.

It wasn't immediately clear if the weather was to blame for another wreck Sunday night that claimed the life of a 19-year-old.

The driver died after he ran off the road in Wayne County.

Weather-related wrecks also caused minor and moderate injuries in Howell, Phelps, Cole, St. Charles and Bates counties.

The timing of the slippery conditions was unfortunate in the St. Louis area, coming on the first day motorists had a chance to try out the new 4-mile stretch of Interstate 64 that opened after nearly a year of construction in west St. Louis County.

The stretch runs from Interstate 270 to Interstate 170.

MoDOT closed the second 4-mile stretch of I-64 Saturday. The highway from I-170 east to Kingshighway will be shut down for reconstruction for about a year.