Heavy snow and slush closed the Kansas City International Airport on Sunday for almost six hours, the longest closure in its 35-year history, authorities said. Dozens of flights were canceled.
The airport has closed only a few times and never for more than four hours, airport spokesman Joe McBride said.
The runways were closed around 6:30 a.m. when friction testing showed conditions were too slick to safely operate planes.
"A 150 mph aircraft hydroplaning is not a good thing," McBride said.
The airport, which has 440 flights a day, had 4 inches of snow by midmorning.
Storms also brought heavy snow and rain to much of the Upper Midwest.
In Wisconsin, a quarter inch of ice was reported on some major highways and a blizzard warning was issued for seven counties. Flood watches and winter storm warnings were also in effect. Six to 12 inches of snow was expected in southern and central Wisconsin.
A blizzard warning was issued for much of central Iowa, and up to 8 inches of snow was expected in the northeast part of the state.
/ Source: The Associated Press