Snow hit hours early: why St. Louis roads, schools and flights were thrown into chaos

St. Louis knew snow was coming — but not this early.

In this segment, we break down why road problems exploded so quickly across the region, even though totals weren’t extreme. Officials expected the snow to move in later in the day, but it arrived hours earlier, lining up with late morning and midday traffic instead of the quieter afternoon window they had planned for.

Because of that timing shift, crews didn’t get to pre-treat roads as aggressively as they wanted. By the time more rock salt and plows could be deployed, many interstates, side streets and key routes were already seeing slowdowns, slide-offs and backups.

In this clip, you’ll hear:
• Why officials thought the snow would arrive later — and how that changed everything on the roads
• How the timing of the storm forced school changes and complicated dismissals
• The kinds of problems drivers faced during the worst of the storm
• Updates on the airport and flights
• A reminder to give yourself extra time and check conditions before you head out

For more winter storm coverage — including live radar, snowfall totals, school closings and traffic maps across Missouri and Illinois — stay with 5 On Your Side on-air, on the KSDK app and on 5+.

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KSDK News