Snow Wednesday morning prompted school closures and road treatment, with a winter weather advisory that ended at noon.
Columbia Public Works snowplow crews completed a 12-hour shift at 7 a.m. and street crews on duty will respond as needed throughout the day. Significant road issues are not expected to follow, with pavement temperatures remaining above freezing, according to a city of Columbia news release.
Total snowfall from overnight and Wednesday morning in Columbia reached 2.1 inches as of noon, although much has melted, according to the National Weather Service. An additional inch of snow could accumulate throughout the day as light flurries continue.
However, multiple accidents occurred across Boone County Wednesday morning. The Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F had responded to 43 emergency calls since midnight as of 8 a.m., according to a tweet.
Boone County Fire Protection District asked residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary due to multiple vehicle crashes in a tweet around 8 a.m.
The Columbia Police Department also asked the public to report non-injury car crashes to 311 to keep emergency lines clear. Drivers are advised to reduce speeds, clear snow and ice from vehicle windows and wear a seat belt.
A potential refreeze could occur as temperatures drop below 32 degrees at 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the news release. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing until Friday.
Many schools closed due to weather, including Columbia Public Schools, Southern Boone School District, Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School and Columbia Independent School.
MU remained open while Columbia College closed. Stephens College shifted to remote operations. A full list of closures can be found at KOMU's website.
Sam Johnson, owner of Cafe Berlin, said school closures usually bring in plenty of families and walk-in business, but that hadn’t been the case before noon.
“(Downtown is) very quiet and very slow,” Johnson said. “We’re happy to be open, but we’ve only had maybe six customers today so we’re focusing on deep cleaning and stuff like that.”
Other small business owners agreed that the weather impacted business downtown.
Kent Anderson, owner of Kent’s Floral Gallery, said flower deliveries were delayed in the morning because his delivery drivers had difficulty getting into work.
“A lot of them live in the country out of Columbia, so they got a little more snow than we did here in the city,” Anderson said.
Those needing to stay out of the cold have a few options for emergency shelters.
St. Francis House for men, Rainbow House for youth and Welcome Home for veterans all had beds available as of 11 a.m. Wednesday. Room at the Inn had beds available as of 4:50 p.m. Wednesday.
As for True North of Columbia shelter for domestic violence survivors, those interested must call (573) 875-1370 to speak about availability. As of 12:30 p.m., the availability for Flourish teen shelter had not been confirmed.
As a last resort, according to the city of Columbia news release, Turning Point offers a temporary warming shelter at Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church, 702 Wilkes Blvd. This overnight shelter will only be available if the National Weather Service forecasts 25 degrees or below between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Columbia also has various warming centers, including the Activity and Recreation Center and the Columbia Public Library. A list of all centers and addresses can be found at the city of Columbia website.
Reporter Sophie Carite contributed to this article.