Storm brings travel nightmares to Central US as snow coats major interstates

A snow storm in the Central region of the United States turned deadly this weekend. Along with dumping over four inches of snow over the Kansas City, Missouri, area, the snow led to numerous accidents in eastern Nebraska which claimed at least five lives.Before noon on Sunday, three people were killed in an accident involving multiple cars. The crash occurred near Greenwood and forced a section of Interstate 80 to close for five hours.Around 1 p.m., local time, another fatal accident occurred near Sarpy County, located about 25 miles south of Omaha. The collision between a Chevy Silverado and a Chrysler 200 involved five occupants and claimed the lives of two individuals.Crashes continued through Monday, as the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Norman, Oklahoma, reported multiple accidents in the early morning.In Missouri, accidents have also abounded on Monday. The state highway patrol's Twitter account said that between midnight and 8 a.m., over 2,000 residents called requesting assistance, 666 motorists were left stranded, 685 crashes occurred, and four lives were claimed from weather related accidents.The Kansas City metro area was hit with more than 4 inches of snow as the area had a winter storm warning on Sunday, sparking treacherous travel conditions and traffic jams.The winter storm warning was issued for much of eastern Kansas, stretching across Missouri and into Illinois, according to the NWS. Denver Broncos linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (97) tackles Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) The heavy snow didn't delay the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos or stop fans from tailgating, even though several Chiefs players had not arrived at Arrowhead Stadium as of two hours before kickoff, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.Enough snow fell at Arrowhead Stadium to cover the field, making the yard lines tough to see. Crews had to go out onto the field to mark the lines in the snow.By 5 p.m. CST, the Missouri Department of Transportation's Traveler Information Map showed most of the major roads in the northern half of the state were also covered in snow.Reports say around 25 major traffic incidents have occurred across the metro area, according to KC Scout.> We're working lots of crashes already this morning, mostly on the highways: I-35, I-435, K-10. Stay in if you can. According to one officer, "the highways are terrible right now".> > -- Lenexa Police (@LenexaPolice) December 15, 2019 Low visibility on the highway in the Kansas City area on Sunday. Image via Kansas Department of Transportation. Officials politely asked people to stay off of the roads if possible due to the number of wrecks, low visibility and other bad conditions."An additional 1-3 inches is possible the rest of the afternoon and evening for the area with totals of 4-8 inches by tonight. Untreated roads will be snow-covered and treated roads could be slick," Reppert said.Inclement weather forced school districts such as Blue Springs Schools and Columbia Public Schools in Missouri to call for a snow day on Monday.