States across the United States' midsection are bracing for another round of winter storms expected to add to thick ice that already has glazed roads, grounded flights and prompted class cancellations amid warnings that people stay home. Winter storms are typically associated with heavy snowfall, but the one that began hammering the southern Plains and Midwest on Friday dumped freezing rain — a condition even harder for road crews to treat. A slick roadway was suspected in a fatal wreck Friday in Missouri, where long stretches of Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 were ice-covered. More freezing precipitation was expected in parts of the nation's central corridor throughout most of the holiday weekend. While many motorists heeded warnings to avoid road travel Friday, Butch Shadrick said his towing service in Missouri's St. Clair, about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis, said his fleet of five trucks handled at least eight calls for travelers who found themselves in ditches or other wrecks. That was after storms left about a quarter of an inch of sleet on that region, with the accumulation expected to double into Saturday. "There's not a lot of people out there, but the ones who are the ones paying the consequences," Shadrick said from his Hoffman's Towing & Service business. In Kansas, the state's National Guard was mobilizing in advance of Saturday's storm, designating roughly 200 guardsmen to patrol key roads and help motorists stranded by icy conditions. The teams of soldiers also were to provide emergency transportation for law enforcers and other emergency responders, while staying ready to make warming stations available at local armories as needed. — Agencies
