Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A snowstorm dumped nearly a foot of snow on the St. Louis area and killed at least four people in traffic accidents as it headed to the East Coast Saturday.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it responded to 48 injuries, 723 crashes, 1,252 stranded motorists and 2,968 calls for service through 8 a.m. Saturday.
The patrol warned people Saturday morning not to travel on Interstate 44 in St. Louis because it was "still being hit particularly hard." At 2:17 p.m., it urged drives to use "extreme caution" even though eastbound I-44 had been cleared.
"Stay well behind plows. We continue to discourage travel unless necessary due to continued precipitation and refreeze tonight."
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The Midwest city had 10.4 inches of snow by 12:30 p.m., with a foot measured in Columbia, Mo., and 17 inches in Harrisburg, Mo., as of 9 a.m., CNN reported.
The snowfall so far in St. Louis ties a storm in 2014 for the most snow in a single storm, the National Weather Service said.
The NWS in Kansas City reported on Twitter: "Many areas across eastern Kansas and western Missouri saw their highest snow totals in several years last night." By 6 a.m., Kansas City, Mo., was hit by 7.2 inches of snow.
A winter storm forced dozens of cancellations across all airlines at St. Louis Lambert International Airport with more cancellations likely through Sunday, airport officials said.
School officials also canceled the University of Missouri men's basketball game at the University of South Carolina in Columbia because of weather-related travel problems, the team tweeted.
Snow stopped before the scheduled game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Indianapolis Colts with a 3:35 p.m. kickoff. Workers removed snow from the field and seats.
Metro areas facing dangerous travel conditions and heavy snow and ice include Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Roanoke and Greensboro, N.C.
"We have a strong snowstorm that's stretching 1,400 miles from Kansas to the East Coast," CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said. "St. Louis is seeing its worst snowstorm in five years. We're going to see a significant snow event for the mid-Atlantic to start the year for 2019."
It's expected to dump 4 inches to 6 inches on Washington, D.C., and 2 inches to 3 inches on Baltimore through Sunday, forecasters said. Philadelphia is predicted to get 1 inch to 2 inches and light accumulation in New York is possible along the storm's northern edge.
Weather.com reported an area of low pressure is tapping into cold air from Canada.
