Spring snowstorm, floods blanket US midwest

CHICAGO, Thick, heavy snow blanketing parts of the central United States could worsen flood conditions along the Mississippi River basin, the National Weather Service warned Friday.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled and traffic was snarled as a spring snowstorm dumped as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of wet snow in a wide swath ranging from North Dakota to Michigan.

Just a few hours drive to the south, hundreds and homes and business were still under water as soggy towns waited for floodwaters to recede and rivers to crest.

"Around St. Louis they are still looking at major flooding because of the water feeding in from the Ohio River to the Mississippi (River,)" said Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.

"It's going to take a while for these things to go down." (AFP)