A powerful ice storm snapped large tree branches like twigs and dragged down powerlines throughout the region leaving up to a half-million people without power as of 11 a.m. today.
The first major snowstorm of the season canceled hundreds of flights and hobbled highways in the midsection of the U.S., and more sloppy weather was on the way Friday.
The wintry system struck Thursday from Texas to Michigan. A blizzard warning was posted in parts of Oklahoma, and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for 27 counties, freeing up resources to help them.
Nearly 350,000 customers were without power early Friday in a wide area of eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois after ice snapped tree limbs and power limbs.
Most Thursday night flights out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport were canceled.
In Springfield, Mo., freezing rain and sleet knocked out power to 15,000 customers, and the forecast called for snow and high winds. In Chicago, 270 salt spreaders stood ready to hit the roads.