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It probably won't come as a surprise to many in the metro area, but the spring snowstorm that blanketed St. Louis Sunday set a record. It was the deepest one-day snowfall in March according to the National Weather Service.

The official snow total at Lambert Airport was 12.4 inches, beating the old record by three-tenths of an inch, and snow is still falling this morning.

That old record of 12.1 inches dates back to March 24, 1912.

It probably won't come as a surprise to many in the metro area, but the spring snowstorm that blanketed St. Louis Sunday set a record. It was the deepest one-day snowfall in March according to the National Weather Service.

The official snow total at Lambert Airport was 12.4 inches, beating the old record by three-tenths of an inch, and snow is still falling this morning.

That old record of 12.1 inches dates back to March 24, 1912.

Winter Storm Virgil hit the entire region hard on Sunday.

By 4:50 PM, areas like O'Fallon, St. Peters, St. Charles, and Florissant, Missouri were all reporting over 10" of snow. That total is expected to continue to rise overnight, with the possibility of another inch on Monday.

MoDOT officials urge drivers to remain cautious through the Monday morning rush.

EARLIER:

The entire area is under either a Winter Storm Warning or Advisory until midnight Sunday. Snow has been falling very quickly along with blowing snow, making travel hazardous. Winds are 10-30mph. The Missouri Department of Transportation had 200 crews out overnight preparing roads for icy conditions. Snow crews with IDOT have been doing the same.

Snowfall totals will be greater in the northern sections of the listening area. 2"-4" is expected in southern counties, up to 8" in the metro area, with up to 11" in northern counties.

Lambert Airport is also under a Winter Storm Warning. As of 11:15 AM 38 Arriving flights have been canceled. 40 Departing flights have been canceled.

Snow flurries could continue until Monday morning. School closings are posted here on our website on our home page.

Tune into the Big 550 for weather updates starting at 5am with Farmer Dave Schumacher and then through morning drive with McGraw in the Morning. Tim Wilund will provide continuous traffic updates, Fox 2 Meteorologist Glenn Zimmerman with your weather and the KTRS News team providing conditions from around the listening area for your Monday morning and afternoon commute.

To report a power outage in Missouri or Illinois, call the following numbers: Ameren Illinois: 1-800-755-5000 Ameren Missouri: 1-800-552-7583

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday evening. Precipitation will initially overspread the area late Saturday afternoon and evening and will be in the form of rain. As colder air builds southward Saturday night. The rain will change to snow and become heavy at times, especially after midnight. Snow will then continue through much of the day on Sunday. Accumulations will be 5 to 8 inches of snow possible with locally higher amounts. Here are more weather stats from the National Weather Service: Winds: North 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Impact: Snow will have the potential to not only accumulate on roads but accumulate at a rapid pace. the snowfall will likely greatly reduce visibilities at times and result in snow packed and slick roads...making travel hazardous. Precautionary/preparedness actions... A winter storm watch is advanced notice that severe winter weather is possible in the watch area. It does not mean it is a certainty. Those in the watch area should begin preparing in case the storm does materialize. If you have travel planned...you may want to adjust your travel time to avoid the storm. Also, you should use this advanced notice to make certain your vehicle is winterized. Make preparations at home by stocking emergency supplies, such as food, medicine and extra heating fuel, just in case the storm makes travel impossible. This is especially important for those living in rural areas.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday evening. Precipitation will initially overspread the area late Saturday afternoon and evening and will be in the form of rain. As colder air builds southward Saturday night. The rain will change to snow and become heavy at times, especially after midnight. Snow will then continue through much of the day on Sunday. Accumulations will be 5 to 8 inches of snow possible with locally higher amounts. Here are more weather stats from the National Weather Service: Winds: North 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Impact: Snow will have the potential to not only accumulate on roads but accumulate at a rapid pace. the snowfall will likely greatly reduce visibilities at times and result in snow packed and slick roads...making travel hazardous. Precautionary/preparedness actions... A winter storm watch is advanced notice that severe winter weather is possible in the watch area. It does not mean it is a certainty. Those in the watch area should begin preparing in case the storm does materialize. If you have travel planned...you may want to adjust your travel time to avoid the storm. Also, you should use this advanced notice to make certain your vehicle is winterized. Make preparations at home by stocking emergency supplies, such as food, medicine and extra heating fuel, just in case the storm makes travel impossible. This is especially important for those living in rural areas.

City, County and State crews continue to work this morning to clear the roads for the morning rush.  While most major school districts in the St. Louis area have already canceled class for today, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay says he's confident most major arteries will be clear.  Slay says it's the back roads that may still be dangerous. "The residential streets will be a problem for some time, it will depend on the weather and the temperature in particular."

Much of the reported trouble spots this morning are on the exit and entrance ramps to highways as well as spots on north and southbound I-270 past I-64 where cars remain stranded on the roadway.  For complete road conditions and closings and cancellations visit KTRS.com.

llinois road crews have been working hard overnight to clear the roads as well, and IDOT engineer Joseph Monroe explains why it's been difficult for crews to keep up. Monroe says, "Normally in a snow event without any blowing or drifting you figure the first inch of snow takes two hours to clean up and then each inch takes an additional hour. That's just a rule of thumb. If you see it get way out of line, you go looking for problems." 

Nearly 6 inches of sleet and snow fell around the St. Louis area Thursday. Stranded vehicles made clearing the roads even more difficult. 

THE STORM SYSTEM 

Our major snow storm that shuttered airports here in Missouri, stranded truckers in Illinois and buried parts of Kansas in knee-deep powder is moving northeast with the likelihood of more punishing snow, ice and wind.

Gusts up to 30 mph are expected to churn-up snow that fell overnight in southern Wisconsin, where forecasters were warning Milwaukee-area residents of slick roads and reduced visibility. The same was expected in northeast Iowa.

If you were planning to fly out of Lambert  your connecting flight could be affected.

More than 2,100 flights nationwide already have been canceled for today because of the big snowstorm that's threatening the Northeast. Additional flights have been canceled through tomorrow. 

The website FlightAware says United Airlines has scrapped some 900 flights for today, Delta has canceled 740 and American Airlines, about 200. The airports with the most cancellations are in the New York area and in Boston. Airlines have issued waivers that allow affected passengers to change their travel date without paying a change fee.

BOSTON (AP) - Schools across New England have closed and thousands of flights have been scratched as the Northeast hunkers down for a storm poised to dump up to 2 feet of snow.

The snow is expected to start this morning, with the heaviest amounts falling at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared, along with flooding in coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in October.

Boston could get more than 2 feet of snow, while New York City was expecting 10 to 14 inches. To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 4 to 6 inches.

Amtrak says its Northeast trains will stop running this afternoon.

In New England, it could prove to be among the top 10 snowstorms in history.

BOSTON (AP) - A major winter storm heading toward New England could dump as much as 2 feet of snow on the region.

The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to begin Friday morning and continue into Saturday night as it moves past New England and upstate New York.

A blizzard watch for parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island says travel may become nearly impossible because of high winds and blowing snow. A coastal flood watch is in effect for some shore communities.

Operators of some ski areas in Massachusetts are excited by the prospect of the first major snowstorm they've seen since October 2011. Christopher Kitchin, inside operations manager at Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford, Mass., says people are eager to go skiing, snow-tubing and snowboarding.