I-70 closed east of Kansas City to Kingdom City

Winter returned today with a vengeance and it’s not over yet, with two more storms forecast for the next 4-5 days.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Friday afternoon that large sections of I-70 across the state are closed because of traffic accidents in both eastbound and westbound lanes. Fifteen vehicles involved in crashes have caused westbound lanes of the interstate near Oak Grove to be closed. One fatality has been reported. Further details were not immediately available.

Another crash on I-70 involving several semi-trailer trucks closed the interstate near Concordia, Mo., (about 57 miles east of Kansas City, Mo.) and other serious crashes were reported near St. Joseph, Columbia and Kingdom City.

Roads and highways, including I-70, are treacherous and state officials are asking people to stay off the roads if at all possible. Whiteout conditions remain in large portions of the state, especially along I-70 east of the Kansas City metro as the storm moves across the Show-me State.

Today’s winter snowstorm is a taste of what’s coming. More snow is expected Saturday night into Sunday with 1-3 inches expected and then a larger snowstorm may hit the region Tuesday into Wednesday.

Forecasters have said the total snow amount from all three storms could range from 8-12 inches across the region.