Winter storm blamed for 5 deaths in Missouri

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The winter storm that brought a mix of ice, sleet and snow to Missouri is being blamed for at least five traffic deaths.

The wintry mix began Thursday morning and continued on Friday, shutting down schools and businesses and causing hundreds of accidents around the state.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol cited slippery roads as factors in fatal accidents that killed five people. In Monroe County, teenage sisters Alicia and Kayla Carter died Thursday afternoon when the car Alicia was driving slid on an icy curve and went into a ditch near Paris. Alicia was 17, Kayla 18.

Also Thursday, an accident on Interstate 44 in mid-Missouri killed a 41-year-old man. Sean Brown of Salem was a passenger in a car driven by Michelle Church. The Highway Patrol said the car lost traction on an ice-covered bridge, overturned and struck a tree. Church, 23, had moderate injuries.

In southeast Missouri, Mark Dunlap, 44, of Lesterville, died late Thursday when his car slid on a curve, went down a steep hill and struck a tree, then caught fire.

And in mid-Missouri's Osage County, Shawn Gredvig, 31, of Holts Summit, died when his car crossed the center line and struck a Jeep. Two others in Gredvig's car and both people in the Jeep were hurt.

Accumulation totals from the storm were minimal, mostly an inch or so in most places, said Butch Dye, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office near St. Louis. The problem was the content of the accumulation -- especially the ice and sleet.

It was the second ice storm in the state in less than two weeks, but unlike the one that hit southern Missouri on Feb. 11, this one caused a relatively small number of power outages. The Feb. 11 storm left thousands without power, some for up to a week.

"The only difference is this one had less moisture," Dye said. The previous storm left about an inch of ice and 2 inches of sleet in some regions.

The worst of the latest storm was Thursday, but problems persisted Friday. In St. Louis, sleet, then snow, made the morning commute problematic, leading to numerous accidents.

In Springfield, light snow and freezing fog made for treacherous conditions.

In Kansas City, many schools were closed. Kansas City International Airport reported about two dozen flight cancellations. Lambert Airport in St. Louis listed about 50 canceled flights.

Dye said slightly warmer weather -- highs in the 30s and low 40s -- is expected for the weekend. Monday's high could reach into the low 50s.