State of Emergency in Southern Illinois as Snow Falls

Some areas of southern Illinois could get as much as 14 inches of snow

A state of emergency was declared Friday for a southern Illinois county as eight inches of snow fell in the far southern portion of the state.

Jackson County's board chairman declared a state of emergency as the wintry weather continued to pelt the region. Authorities said primary roads were treacherous in the county that's home to Murphysboro and Carbondale and some secondary roads were impassable because of a combination of snow, sleet and ice.

The National Weather Service office in Paducah, Ky., said a winter storm warning for the area remains in effect until 6 p.m. It cautioned that the region should also expect up to a quarter inch of ice. A winter storm warning remained in effect until 6 p.m.

Some areas of southern Illinois could get as much as 14 inches of snow.

Classes at Southern Illinois University were canceled because of the storm. University administrators called off Friday's classes because of questionable driving conditions.

A big chunk of the U.S. experienced the blast of wintry weather. Hundreds of flights were canceled and holiday celebrations curtailed.

Several inches of snow fell on central and southern Indiana, making driving treacherous and leading to at least two fatal crashes.

A car driver was killed in a crash with an out-of-control semi on Interstate 70 in eastern Indiana's Wayne County late Thursday, state police said. A woman died in a four-vehicle crash on U.S. 40 near Terre Haute.

The roads proved even too hazardous for a Department of Transportation plow truck that flipped onto its side on Indiana 45 early Friday, the Greene County Sheriff's Department said.

With residents of northwestern Wisconsin digging out from as much as 17 inches of snow, forecasters warned that temperatures in the area could plunge as low as 25 degrees below zero.

Temperatures across north-central Wisconsin were forecast to fall into the single digits above and below zero on Thursday night. They were expected to drop into the minus 20s over the next few days into the middle of next week.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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