PHOTO GALLERY: Snow hits Columbia

February 21, 2013 | 9:35 a.m. CST

Snow began falling around 8 a.m. Thursday in Columbia. Many area schools have been canceled for the day, and city buses planned to switch to an emergency schedule at 10 a.m.

MU freshman Zach Dover of Sedalia carries his bike along Providence Road on Thursday morning. | Greg Kendall-Ball

An MU tour guide leads a tour group through Francis Quadrangle on Thursday morning. | Ben Walton

James Kennedy, a custodian for MU, shovels snow on the north side of Hitt Street garage Thursday morning. | Brian Kratzer

Jill Elsbury, an MU law student from Centralia, walks in the snow along Ninth Street on Thursday afternoon. Forecasts called for seven to 10 inches of snow. | Greg Kendall-Ball

A woman walks up snowy stairs to Jesse Hall on Thursday afternoon. | Greg Kendall-Ball

Lee Viorel, a freshman from Springfield, is buried under the snow by his friends on the Francis Quadrangle on Thursday afternoon. | Greg Kendall-Ball

MU students Tiffany Melecio, left and Alex Sanchez kiss in the snow in front of the MU Student Center after their classes were canceled on Thursday. "I love how beautiful it is, I hate how cold it is," said Melecio.

| Roxana Pop

Michelle McKee has to abandon her grocery cart in the parking lot of the Hy-Vee on Nifong Boulevard on Thursday morning. McKee said the snow in the lot made it impossible to roll the cart to her vehicle, and after dragging it from the front door, she chose to make several trips to transfer her groceries to her car. | Greg Kendall-Ball

A resident of Tara Apartments runs through the snow on the way to his apartment on Thursday morning.
| Roxana Pop

Cars were stuck and traffic backed up on Providence Road on Thursday morning. | Greg Kendall-Ball

Vehicles pass a car stuck Thursday afternoon on the shoulder of the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the Providence Road overpass. | Greg Kendall-Ball