No one got a foot of snow, but many locations in the Ozarks had a half foot from the winter storm that moved through the Ozarks Tuesday, creating hazardous driving conditions and shutting down parts of I-44 in Missouri.
The National Weather Service in Springfield officially measured 6.4 inches at its office near the Springfield-Branson National Airport.
We had reports of 7.0 inches in Branson, 6.0 inches in Marshfield, Rolla and Salem, 5.5 inches in Nixa, 5.0 inches in Willard and Ava, with higher totals of 7.0 inches in Camdenton, 8.0 inches in Osage Beach, and 9.0 inches in Lake Ozark.
Good progress has been made on clearing major highways in the Ozarks, such as I-44, Highway 65 and James River Freeway.
Get updated road conditions here with the MoDOT Traveler Information Map.
MoDOT reported shortly before noon on Wednesday that I-44 westbound is shut down in the Doolittle-Rolla-St. James area.
| JEFFERSON CITY – Interstate 44 is closed westbound in Phelps County west of Rolla at mile marker 176 due to weather related incidents. Traffic is currently backed up more than 20 miles to near the St. James exit at mile marker 195. This queue is expected to grow. Motorists are advised to avoid this stretch of Interstate 44. There is currently no estimate on the clearing of the incident. Westbound motorists should exit as early as possible to seek alternate routes or a safe place to wait out the closure. U.S. Route 63 southbound can serve as an alternate. Motorists can use U.S. Route 63 southbound at Rolla to U.S. Route 60 westbound to U.S. Route 65 northbound at Springfield to return back to I-44. Note that oversize/overweight permitted trucks should remain on their permitted route. This is a rapidly changing traffic situation. |
Even with the snow gone, bitterly cold temperatures remain through the end of the week.
A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect until noon on Thursday for all of the Ozarks.
Wind chills of -10 to -20 are likely, and record low temps are in jeopardy.
Use caution while travelling, and wear appropriate clothing, including a hat and gloves.
