Snowstorm promising messy Upper Midwest commute after shuttering Mo. airports, blanketing Kan.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A major snow storm that shuttered airports in Missouri and buried parts of Kansas in knee-deep powder is crawling northeast, promising a messy and possibly dangerous morning commute.

Wind gusts of 30 mph are expected to churn-up snow that fell overnight in southern Wisconsin, where forecasters are warning Milwaukee-area residents of slick roads and reduced visibility Friday morning.

The same is expected in northeast Iowa, where residents could wake up to as much as 7 inches of new snow, and in Chicago, where nearly 200 snowplows were deployed overnight.

The storm system swirled to the north and east late Thursday, its snow, sleet and freezing rain prompting winter storm across the region. The snow accumulations are impressive, especially in Kansas, where as much as 17 inches of snow fell.