Storm disrupts Metro service; Nixon declares emergency

ST. LOUIS • A "potentially historic" winter storm is bearing down on the St. Louis region, with forecasters predicting a dangerous blend of ice, sleet, rain, high winds, bitter cold and perhaps 20 inches of snow.

Parts of St. Louis area could see an up to one-inch layer of ice before the snow moves into the area, according to the National Weather Service. Ice build-up on power lines is likely to cause power outages when high winds gusting up to 40 mph blow through.

So far, according to a National Weather Service update, about .10 inches of freezing rain has accumulated in the St. Louis area.

St. Louis-area transportation agencies say the winter storm is already having an effect on local travel.

Metro spokeswoman Dianne Williams said ice buildup on overhead lines providing power to MetroLink trains forced the agency to limit light-rail service to the segment between Fairview Heights and Forest Park.

Buses were brought in shortly after 6 p.m. to shuttle passengers from Forest Park to the Shrewsbury station, and from Fairview Heights to the Shiloh-Scott station in Illinois.

Passengers were able to get out of two trains that were disabled by the ice - one between the Swansea and Memorial stations and the other between UMSL South and Rock Road.

Stranded passengers were also cleared from a disabled train between the Brentwood and Maplewood stations, Williams said. The train was on an elevated section of track, but was brought to a nearby station so passegers could exit, Williams said

She said some passengers were on disabled trains for over an hour. As of 7:40 p.m. all had been cleared, Williams said.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport reported about 170 canceled inbound and outbound flights this afternoon and that no more Southwest Airlines flights would depart after 3:30 p.m. Airport spokesman Jeff Lea said several airlines are preemptively canceling flights ahead of the storm. The airport has nearly 500 departures and arrivals each day. For more information about how the storm is affecting transportation around St. Louis, go here.

Forecasters say brace for the worst: a "potentially historic" winter storm packing a punch of ice, followed by heavy snow and severely cold temperatures.

"Whatever you get is going to be a large amount, we're fairly confident," said Jim Kramper of the National Weather Service. "This is a big storm."

After the ice freezes and the snow kicks in, one to two inches an hour won't be uncommon, Kramper said. And don't be surprised if the storm is accompanied by claps of thunder, he said.

Forecasters say the St. Louis metro area is going to be right on the dividing line between freezing rain and snow.

City and county officials who spoke at public briefings today at the Soldiers Memorial downtown said they are preparing for the worst possible scenario.

"If the storm is as bad as the forecast, it will shut down much of the region," said Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.

For most people in the region, the storm will be an inconvenience, Rainford said. But for the elderly and the area's most vulnerable citizens, he said it will be dangerous.

STATE OF EMERGENCY

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency today as the brutal winter storm marches east.

The governor called out the National Guard to help the Missouri State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement officials deal with potential problems. About 600 members of the National Guard were dispatched statewide to help local authorities, including 200 guard members sent to the St. Louis area.

In preparing for the storm, Ameren Missouri has put 490 line workers on standby, called in more than 820 contractors including line workers from as far as Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Kansas. The utility also has tapped 850 tree trimmers and 250 more field staff and damage checkers.

Ameren Illinois has about 470 line workers on standby plus about 230 outside contractors from the Chicago and other parts of northern Illinois and Wisconsin. There will also be about 300 tree trimmers and 200 more field staff checking for damaged lines.

Ameren customers can click here to get the latest information on outages.

Ameren said its extensive tree-trimming program should help, but the weight of ice on power lines will cause extensive problems if the ice builds to a half-inch or more.

Officials urged people whose electricity goes out to use caution using alternative heat sources such as space heaters and fireplaces. If power goes out for an extended amount of time, officials say it may be necessary to shut off and drain incoming water lines to prevent pipes from cracking.

St. Louis officials also asked residents to use 911 only in real emergencies and to stay clear of emergency vehicles on the roads. Also, they urged those living along snow routes to move their vehicles from the street to allow plows to clear the snow. If necessary, shelters will be established at public facilities to help people without power or heat.

STOCKING UP

The coming storm meant a rush at area stores.

"I just sold my last bag of ice melt," Bob Margherio, owner of Mac Do it Best Hardware in Webster Groves, said Monday morning. "I sold four tons of ice melt in four hours this morning."

Margherio said he hopes another 18 tons of the product arrive at the store tommorrow. Margherio said customers are also buying flashlights, batteries and snow shovels and that he's getting low on those items as well.

Paul Simon, a Schnucks spokesman, said the grocery chain has been prepping for the storm for days. Area grocery stores were swamped on Sunday and continued to be very busy Monday, he said.

"We are feverishly working today to get back in stock," he said. "The reports from the field are that most stores are in stock with the staples and ready to help customers."

He said that Schnucks stores plan to stay open normal hours throughout the storm.

Dierbergs grocery stores did double the amount of normal business on Sunday as residents rushed to stock up on staples such as milk, bread, bananas, toilet paper and beer, said Todd Vasel, a Dierbergs spokesman.

"It would be the equivalent to us of a Christmas Eve, which is typically one of our busier days of the year," he said. "As fast as they were bringing items out, they were being picked up."

Dierbergs replenished their shelves in many of their stores Sunday night and all of them were restocked by this morning, Vasel said. He said the grocery store would continue to move up some of its delivery truck schedules to try to keep shelves stocked.

The grocery stores have continued to be busy today. Vasel said the stores are in good shape in terms of food. Some rock salt blends have been mostly depleted, but they still have a decent supply of rock salt as a whole, he said. Other popular items shoppers have been filling their shopping carts with include canned tomatoes and ground beef for stews and chilis as well as ice cream and chocolate, he said.

"They want their treats," Vasel said. "They know they're going to be in their house all day -- they want a bowl of ice cream at night."

TRAVEL MAY BE TOUGH

MetroLink is warning its riders that service the light-rail service could be halted or have long delays if the ice predictions prove true, resulting in downed tree limbs and power outages. Transit officials also warned bus riders and those who use the Call-A-Ride vans to expect delays because the vehicles will likely be using detours to get around roads that are closed or deemed too dangerous for travel.

Updates on light rail and bus service can be found at www.MetroStLouis.org

Even the St. Louis Zoo heeded the warning, decided to close at noon on Monday. The Illinois Legislature is closing, too. All committee hearings and sessions for the House and Senate in Illinois have been called off for the week.

And in a rare move, Washington University canceled classes.

As of Monday afternoon, however, the Acro-Cat Cat Circus was still planing to perform as scheduled tonight and Tuesday nights at 2720 Cherokee nightclub.

"Looks like we'll have no competition," said organizer Angelo Olegna.

 Meantime, St. Louis-area transportation agencies say the winter storm is already having an effect on local travel.

Metro spokeswoman Dianne Williams said ice buildup on overhead lines providing power to MetroLink trains forced the agency to limit light-rail service to the segment between Fairview Heights and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

Buses were brought in shortly after 6 p.m. to shuttle passengers from Forest Park to the Shrewsbury station, and from Fairview Heights to the Shiloh-Scott station in Illinois.

Passengers were able to get out of two trains that were disabled by the ice - one between the Swansea and Memorial stations and the other between UMSL South and Rock Road.

But as of 7 p.m., passengers remained stranded in a disabled train between the Brentwood and Maplewood stations, Williams said. The train is on an elevated section of track, so getting the passengers out of the light-rail vehicle is proving difficult.

It was not known immediately whether the train had heat or power. But Metro is in contact with the operator, Williams said.