Winter Weather Advisory starting Wednesday evening includes Mid-Missouri

The National Weather Service in St. Louis has issued a Winter Weather Advisory beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, and continuing through noon Thursday, Feb. 22, including Cole, Boone, Callaway, Moniteau and Osage counties in Mid-Missouri.
The National Weather Service in St. Louis has issued a Winter Weather Advisory beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, and continuing through noon Thursday, Feb. 22, including Cole, Boone, Callaway, Moniteau and Osage counties in Mid-Missouri.

The National Weather Service in St. Louis has issued a Winter Weather Advisory beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, and continuing through noon Thursday, Feb. 22, affecting portions of central Missouri and southwestern Illinois.

Forecasters expect mixed precipitation, with wet snow accumulations of up to a half-inch and ice accumulations of around one-tenth of an inch.

Ice will result in difficult travel conditions and reduced visibility, including the Thursday morning commute, according to the NWS.

The advisory includes Mid-Missouri's Cole, Boone, Callaway, Moniteau and Osage counties, among others.

Public works officials hope the area is spared severe icing problems like Tuesday's.

"We got lucky because the temperatures held up above freezing," said Cole County Public Works Director Larry Benz. "There were some hazardous spots, but not many."

Jefferson City Operations Division Director Britt Smith added: "We dodged a bullet because it could have been a lot worse."

Both said they plan to bring in road crews so they will be out before the Thursday morning rush hour.

Crews might be out Wednesday night and overnight, depending on precipitation, they added. Tuesday's rain prevented road crews from spreading ice-melt material, as it would wash away or be diluted.

Road conditions can be monitored on the Missouri Department of Transportation website, modot.org.