Snowfall blankets central US

Snow can be seen on palm trees while mail carrier Pablo Salinas delivers letters on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in El Paso, Texas. Salinas said his commute took an extra hour due to road closures following four inches of snow falling overnight. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
Snow can be seen on palm trees while mail carrier Pablo Salinas delivers letters on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in El Paso, Texas. Salinas said his commute took an extra hour due to road closures following four inches of snow falling overnight. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A winter storm in the central United States dropped snow as far south as El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday while areas of the Deep South were at risk of severe weather including tornadoes and torrential rains, forecasters said.

Winter storm warnings or advisories were in effect Wednesday evening from northeastern Oklahoma to the Great North Woods of Maine, the National Weather Service said. Meanwhile, the Storm Prediction Center said storms that could generate hail, 60 mph winds and twisters were possible across much of Mississippi and Alabama. The threat extended into border regions of Tennessee, and forecasters said bad weather could continue after dark.

Mail carrier Pablo Salinas, of San Elizario, said Wednesday the weather and traffic accidents nearly doubled his drive to work from south of El Paso.

"There were four accidents coming in. They closed I-10. I was close to an hour late," Salinas said.

By noon, Salinas said about 4 inches of snow had melted, with only a bit of snow dusting the palm trees lining the street and the red rock hills above.

El Paso International Airport recorded 2 inches of snow Wednesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist David Hefner, who said the city averages 6.9 inches of snow per season.

Hefner said the snow tends to melt quickly.

However, freezing temperatures were expected to preserve Wednesday's snow accumulations from the Red River Valley of Texas through Oklahoma, prompting school systems to remain closed today in those areas.

The winter storm caused a multi-vehicle pileup Wednesday on an Interstate 70 bridge in central Missouri but mostly missed a parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win.

Snowfall was heavier to the east, where several tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles collided around noon on a bridge that spans the Missouri River near Rocheport, shutting down westbound traffic on the interstate.

The Missouri Department of Transportation warned drivers against traveling in the storm amid worsening road conditions.

As the storm hit, University of Missouri officials announced no classes would be held after 1 p.m. and Jefferson City closed its city offices at 10 a.m.

In Oklahoma, the state House and Senate closed due to snowy weather, and the annual anti-abortion Rose Day rally that typically draws hundreds to the state Capitol was postponed.

Highway Patrol troopers worked more than two dozen accidents in the Oklahoma City area early Wednesday, including some with injuries, after several inches of snow fell overnight, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Sarah Stewart said.

"The biggest impact has been snarled traffic from jack-knifed semis," Stewart said.

In Arkansas, forecasters said up to a quarter-inch of ice and 1-3 inches of snow were possible in the northwest part of the state. The remainder of the state was expected to get heavy rain Wednesday.

Snow was also expected to extend into Illinois, Michigan and other parts of the Midwest on Wednesday and today before reaching the Northeast by Friday, the weather service said.