Due to inclement icy weather throughout the night and into this morning, business cancellations have been reported across the city.
SGF flightsSpringfield-Branson National Airport spokesman Kent Boyd said as of 9:40 a.m., seven of eight flights scheduled to leave between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. had been canceled.
"That leaves six flights that the airlines pre-emptively cancelled yesterday, plus a Chicago flight that was canceled this morning due to weather in Chicago," Boyd said in an email. "Those flights would have arrived here yesterday and then spent the night in Springfield. They never got here."
Boyd said both SGF runways are open, but he expects more cancellations throughout the day due to workers being unable to keep up with the ice as it covers planes.
Groundbreaking rescheduledPlans to break ground this morning on the TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel across from Mercy Hospital Springfield were canceled and rescheduled to the week of March 4, according to O'Reilly Hospitality Management LLC CEO Tim O'Reilly.
The ceremony would have marked the start of a five-story, extended-stay hotel, 2009 S. National Ave., a partnership between O'Reilly Hospitality, Rita Baron of architecture firm Baron Design & Associates LLC and Terry Reynolds of C. Arch Bay Co.
Other cancellations:
- Cox Medical Center Branson, formerly Skaggs Regional Medical Center, closed several of its facilities today, including general surgery, urgent care, family medicine, outpatient therapy and occupational health.
- The city of Springfield made several cancellations, including a Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, and closures including recycling centers.
- The Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau rescheduled its 2013 Salute to Travel & Tourism awards banquet to Feb. 28.
- The Missouri Foundation for Health canceled an Affordable Care Act information session that had been scheduled tomorrow morning.
State of EmergencyThis morning, Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri, urging the state's residents to keep a close eye on the impending weather situation.
“A severe winter storm continues to bear down on communities across the state,” Nixon said in a news release. “Missouri stands ready to help communities in need and to deploy the resources to keep folks safe."
Nixon also activated the Missouri State Emergency Operations Plan, which allows local jurisdictions to work with state agencies to provide emergency services.
According to
Weather.com, snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected to continue on the Plains and Midwest through tonight.
Locally, the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management is operating at Level 3 status, designated as a monitoring phase, according to a release.
