The holidays came to a close about the way they started in the Ozarks, blanketed in snow.

For nearly anyone traveling, the pace was much slower.

"I'm coming from St. Louis.  So, it was okay until I hit mile marker 208, and then it just changed.  It got real rough," said Amy Roy.

In fact, wrecks were a popular sight along many of the major highways as snow turned to sludge, and then refroze into ice.

"I've seen a couple of wrecks in the past half hour, more so now than farther north.  People need to slow down," said Doug Cannon from Lexington, Kentucky.

In many cases they were forced too.

We found one couple from Georgia taking a break from the road to do some de-winterizing to their car.

"It mostly just ices in Georgia.  It's crazy.  I've never seen anything like it," said Paige Herget.

From the friendly skies things were looking a bit better.

A stop at the Springfield-Branson National Airport showed planes taking off, and traffic moving just fine.

Inside the airport things were also running pretty smoothly. 

Most found their flights were on time. 

We only found once canceled.  That was a 4:56 flight to Chicago O'Hare.

But with nightfall, the biggest battle remains roads in the Ozarks.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says the storm system has been a challenge.

"These were big fluffy flakes, and they covered things up on us right away.  We'd have to go out, clean off the roads, and about the time we'd get that done, another band would come through.  So, we've been fighting it pretty hard," said Bob Becker with MoDOT.

And when it comes to winter weather the best advice is simple.....

"Slowing down, and trying to keep a wide space between me and the next car in front of me," said Roy.

MoDOT says in the overnight hours the biggest concern will be side roads because it won't be able to get to those as frequently as the major highways.

These have the potential to refreeze overnight leaving numerous slick spots.

Remember if you are back to work in the morning, give yourself some extra time for your morning commute.

Story ideas or comments?  Email me at wcarter@kspr.com