Snowstorm whomps area

Terry McGuire is out early Thursday, Jan. 7, to begin the task of clearing his sidewalks in the 300 block of East Arrow Street in Marshall. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

By late afternoon, area school district officials had seen enough and school cancellations were announced, including Marshall, Slater and Gilliam schools. Sweet Springs schools dismissed early.

The Missouri Department of Transportation Traveler Information Map was one way to watch the progress of the storm as all afternoon the markings for snow covered or partially covered major roads made their way across the state. By early evening only the roads in the southeast part of the state remained clear.

Although snowfall amounts varied, Marshall received 4 inches.

Most schools in the area were cancelled for Thursday, Jan. 7, and many district officials went ahead and cancelled classes for Friday, Jan. 8, too, considering the area is under a wind chill warning, with the forecast calling for drifting snow and dangerous cold through Saturday, Jan. 9.

The Saline County Courthouse was closed Thursday, too, and Marshall city officials were asking residents to park vehicles off the street as snow plows worked their way through residential streets.

The Associated Press reported that Missouri lawmakers are taking a "snow day" on the second day of their annual session. The Legislature's 2010 session opened Wednesday, then many lawmakers left the Capitol because of the snowstorm.

Elsewhere in the region, conditions were even worse than in mid-Missouri. Snow was piled so high in Iowa that drivers couldn't see across intersections. North Dakota residents braced Thursday for heavy snow and wind chills as low as 52 below zero, according to AP reports.

"This air mass originated on the ice cap at the top of the world," said Bobby Boyd, a weather service forecaster in Nashville. He said in an AP story that the cold shot wouldn't be spent until it plunged southeastward and moved well beyond Cuba into the Caribbean.

In central and south Florida, farmers tried to salvage citrus and vegetable crops by spraying them in protective layers of ice and covering them in plastic.

It was so cold in Florida, freezing iguanas were seen falling out of trees. Experts say the cold-blooded reptiles become immobilized when the temperature falls into the 40s and they lose their grip on the tree.

With sustained sub-freezing temperatures forecast to continue, the Missouri State Water Patrol issued a caution about the dangers of going out on frozen waterways.

Four inches of ice is a recommended thickness to support a person walking or skating, according to the news release. Officials urged those who venture out onto ice to never go alone, take a cell phone and call the local fire department if someone falls through ice.

On the Net:

http://maps.modot.mo.gov/travelerinforma...