PHOTO GALLERY: Midwest gets smacked with snow

Tom McReynolds clears snow from a neighbors' house in Wichita, Kan., on Thursday. Kansas was the epicenter of the winter storm, with parts of Wichita buried under 13 inches of still-falling snow. Winter storm warnings stretched from eastern Colorado through Illinois.   |  The Associated Press

An American Airlines flight arrives as sleet falls at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Blinding snow, at times accompanied by thunder and lightning, bombarded much of the nation's midsection Thursday. Freezing rain and sleet were forecast for southern Missouri, southern Illinois and Arkansas. St. Louis was expected to get all of the above — a treacherous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.   |  The Associated Press

Steve Berg shovels the snow in his driveway in Wichita, Kan., to stay ahead of the next round that is forecast to fall during the afternoon.   |  The Associated Press

A city snow plow pushes snow off Zoo Boulevard on Thursday morning in Wichita, Kan.   |  The Associated Press

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

U.S. Postal Service employee Craig Conner tries to navigate a mail cart to his vehicle in downtown St. Joseph shortly after the snow storm started. Winter storm warnings were issued from eastern Colorado through Illinois on Thursday.   |  The Associated Press

A Sedgwick County Sheriff's deputy helps a stranded motorist in Wichita, Kan., as nearly a foot of snow covered the area.   |  The Associated Press