(Reuters) - A winter storm bringing icy rain to the Great Plains and Midwest claimed the life of a Missouri woman on Friday, prompted the delay of an NFL football game and threatened power outages and treacherous conditions throughout the weekend.

Ice, freezing rain and winter storm warnings were in effect from the Texas panhandle north into Iowa and east through central Indiana, the Weather Service said in an advisory, and both Missouri and Oklahoma had declared states of emergency.

“Significant amounts of ice accumulations will make travel dangerous or impossible,” the weather service said. “Travel is strongly discouraged. Commerce will likely be severely impacted.”

The storm’s first known casualty was Tiffany Jackson, 31, of Crystal City, Missouri, who police said lost control after driving too fast on an icy overpass. Her vehicle slid off the road and struck multiple trees, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said, causing her to die at the scene.

Forecasters warned that ice accumulation from the storm could be more than half an inch (1 cm), creating slick roadways especially on bridges and overpasses, and possibly causing scattered power outages across the region, the service said.

The National Football League postponed the start time of a divisional playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Kansas City from around noon local time on Sunday to 7:20 pm, when conditions are expected to ease, the Chiefs said on the team’s website.

In St. Louis, the Cardinals baseball team canceled Saturday’s first day of its three-day “Winter Warm-Up” fan event, a benefit for youth baseball leagues and other organizations supported by the team, citing weather concerns.

On Thursday, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for the entire state.

“Emergency personnel are coordinating with state and local officials to ensure we are ... ready for whatever comes our way,” said Fallin.

A handful of public schools, government offices and universities in Idaho, Oklahoma and other parts of the central region were shut down on Friday or had delayed openings due to the impending storm.

Parts of the region could also see as much as 3 inches (8 cm) of snow later in the weekend, according to the forecast.

“The best thing to do when it’s icy is stay home,” the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said, adding that those who do venture out should heed the advice: “Ice and snow, take it slow.”</s>OKLAHOMA CITY – A shallow layer of Arctic air moving south into the Great Plains will set the stage for a significant icing event starting Friday and lasting through the weekend.

Overnight Thursday, moisture from the Western Gulf of Mexico will move northward over the Southern Plains that will overrun the Arctic front producing rain/freezing rain over the northern edge of the precipitation shield over the Southern Plains into Middle Mississippi Valley by Friday morning.

As the moisture continues to move northward over the Plains, the area of rain/freezing rain will extend into the Western Ohio Valley and extend into the Central Appalachians/Mid Atlantic by Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service has posted an ice storm warning from western Illinois back into northern Oklahoma. A freezing rain advisory and a winter storm watch border the southern and northern edges of the ice storm warning.

The National Weather Service Office in Kansas City, Missouri said there was potential for a “long duration winter storm as precipitation in the form of freezing rain impacts the lower Missouri Valley. The potential exists for significant icing across the area, which will make travel extremely hazardous.”

Looking for the Tennessee Valley forecast? Click here.</s>Freezing rain and snow have already started to fall in parts of the Plains and Midwest. Ice storm warnings are in effect for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois this weekend.

Greg Postel (@GregPostel), hurricane and storm specialist with the Weather Channel, tells Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson about the trajectory of the storm and why some regions will see crippling impacts including fallen trees, power outages and slippery roads.</s>A major long-duration ice storm event is winding up for the Midwest over the next few days.

Ice storm warnings are flying for several Midwest states. The storm could produce .50″ to 1″ ice accumulations across parts of Kansas and Missouri. The system then moves north into Iowa and impact southeast Minnesota and Wisconsin late Sunday through Tuesday.

Arctic high pressure slides over Minnesota Friday morning. As the high departs warmer air aloft ahead of a low pressure system will drive a shield of freezing rain on the northwest side of the advancing low.

The warm layer of air aloft is deep enough to transition precipitation to rain in the lowest mile of the atmosphere. Freezing temperatures at ground level will produce glaze ice.

It’s still early to be precise about where the heaviest ice accumulations will lay out, but many forecast models are cranking out over .50″ ice totals. Some of that may fall on southeast Minnesota communities like Austin, Albert Lea, Rochester and Winona.

This could develop into one of the biggest weather stories of the winter season. The potential for ice-covered roads and widespread power outages across the Midwest is real.</s>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A thick glaze of ice covered roads from Oklahoma to southern Illinois today amid a winter storm that caused numerous wrecks, forced cancellation of schools, grounded flights and prompted dire warnings for people to stay home.

Winter storms are typically associated with heavy snowfall, but the one hammering the southern Plains and Midwest dumped freezing rain, a condition even harder for road crews to treat. A slick roadway was suspected in a fatal wreck in Missouri, where long stretches of Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 were ice-covered.

More freezing precipitation was expected in parts of the nation's central corridor throughout most of the holiday weekend.

"There's no mystery to driving on ice," Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Al Nothum said. "It's impossible to do. You have to slow your speed down."

Hundreds of schools were closed, including several college campuses. St. Louis closed all city operations as it braced for its worst ice storm in at least a decade. Several Missouri prisons halted visiting hours.

The weather atmosphere was so turbulent that thunder rumbled as freezing rain fell in Joplin, Mo.

Several utility companies brought in all available crews who were working extended shifts in anticipation of heavy ice snapping trees and power lines. Scattered outages were reported, including about 2,500 in Springfield, Mo.</s>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A thick glaze of ice covered roads from Oklahoma to southern Illinois on Friday amid a winter storm that caused numerous wrecks, forced cancellation of schools, grounded flights and prompted dire warnings for people to stay home.

Winter storms are typically associated with heavy snowfall, but the one hammering the southern Plains and Midwest dumped freezing rain, a condition even harder for road crews to treat. A slick roadway was suspected in a fatal wreck in Missouri, where long stretches of Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 were ice-covered.

More freezing precipitation was expected in parts of the nation’s central corridor throughout most of the holiday weekend.

“There’s no mystery to driving on ice,” Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Al Nothum said. “It’s impossible to do. You have to slow your speed down.”

Hundreds of schools were closed, including several college campuses. St. Louis closed all city operations as it braced for its worst ice storm in at least a decade. Several Missouri prisons halted visiting hours.

The weather atmosphere was so turbulent that thunder rumbled as freezing rain fell in Joplin, Missouri.

Several utility companies brought in all available crews who were working extended shifts in anticipation of heavy ice snapping trees and power lines. Scattered outages were reported, including about 2,500 in Springfield, Missouri.

Forecasters issued ice storm warnings from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles into southern Illinois, with up to 1 inch of ice expected in some locations. Precipitation is forecast to fall in waves Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Residents were taking the warnings seriously. Grocery stores were selling out of bread, milk and other necessities, and hardware stores were running out of flashlights, batteries and alternative energy sources.

“They’re grabbing generators, and I’m sold out,” said Raymond Bopp, assistant manager of the Woodward Ace Hardware store in Woodward, Oklahoma, about 140 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

Several states activated emergency management procedures. In Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin declared a disaster emergency. The state set up generators and supplies at temporary shelters in the northern part of the state. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and top cabinet officials manned an emergency operations center. Kansas officials were still waiting for the worst of it, with freezing rain in much of the state expected to arrive Saturday.

Missouri Department of Transportation crews were working 12-hour shifts to treat roads and highways, though as some of the freezing rain melted, it washed the chemicals away, said Linda Wilson Horn, a spokeswoman for MoDOT.

“It’ll be a long, constant battle for our crews,” Horn said.

A driver was killed Friday morning when her SUV veered off of Interstate 55 near Festus, Missouri, south of St. Louis. The Highway Patrol said Tiffany Jackson, 33, died when her Chevy Trailblazer slid out of control on an icy overpass and struck several trees. The highway patrol said two other people were hurt in weather-related wrecks.

Lambert Airport spokesman Jeff Lea said that by late morning, 60 arriving flights and 48 departing flights at Missouri’s largest airport have been canceled due to the ice. A handful of flights were canceled at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport, but the airport remained open, according to a spokesman.

The storm began in California, dumping heavy snowfall in higher elevations that led to the evacuation of thousands of people as rivers surged.</s>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A thick glaze of ice covered roads from Oklahoma to southern Illinois on Friday amid a winter storm that caused numerous wrecks, forced school cancellations, grounded flights and prompted dire warnings for people to stay home.

Winter storms are typically associated with heavy snowfall, but the one hammering the southern Plains and Midwest dumped freezing rain, a condition even harder for road crews to treat. A slick roadway was suspected in a fatal wreck in Missouri, where long stretches of Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 were ice-covered.

More freezing precipitation was expected in parts of the nation's central corridor throughout most of the holiday weekend.

"There's no mystery to driving on ice," Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Al Nothum said. "It's impossible to do. You have to slow your speed down."

Hundreds of schools were closed, including several college campuses. St. Louis closed all city operations as it braced for its worst ice storm in at least a decade. Several Missouri prisons halted visiting hours.

The forecast for prompted the NFL to move Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas Chiefs to Sunday evening to allow more time to treat roads and parking lots at Arrowhead Stadium. The game was scheduled to kick off a noon but will now start at 7:20 p.m.

The weather atmosphere was so turbulent that thunder rumbled as freezing rain fell in Joplin, Missouri.

Several utility companies brought in all available crews who were working extended shifts in anticipation of heavy ice snapping trees and power lines. Scattered outages were reported, including about 2,500 in Springfield, Missouri. The Kansas National Guard mobilized about 200 soldiers to help first responders and stranded motorists throughout the weekend.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and several officials thanked residents for heeding warnings to stay home. T

he Missouri State Highway Patrol said it responded to about 100 crashes on Friday, with one fatality related to the storm.

National Weather Service meteorologist Steven Runnels said up to a half-inch of ice stretch from Joplin to St. Louis with "minimal impact." But he warned that freezing rain would increase late Friday and early Saturday in west-central Missouri, and then hit Kansas City and northern Missouri on Saturday night.

Forecasters issued ice storm warnings from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles into southern Illinois, with up to 1 inch of ice expected in some locations. Precipitation is forecast to fall in waves Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Residents were taking the warnings seriously. Grocery stores were selling out of bread, milk and other necessities, and hardware stores were running out of flashlights, batteries and alternative energy sources.

"They're grabbing generators, and I'm sold out," said Raymond Bopp, assistant manager of the Woodward Ace Hardware store in Woodward, Oklahoma, about 140 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

Several states activated emergency management procedures. In Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin declared a disaster emergency. The state set up generators and supplies at temporary shelters in the northern part of the state. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and top cabinet officials manned an emergency operations center. Kansas officials were still waiting for the worst of it, with freezing rain in much of the state expected to arrive Saturday.

Missouri Department of Transportation crews were working 12-hour shifts to treat roads and highways, though as some of the freezing rain melted, it washed the chemicals away, said Linda Wilson Horn, a spokeswoman for MoDOT.

"It'll be a long, constant battle for our crews," Horn said.

A driver was killed Friday morning when her SUV veered off of Interstate 55 near Festus, Missouri, south of St. Louis. The Highway Patrol said Tiffany Jackson, 33, died when her Chevy Trailblazer slid out of control on an icy overpass and struck several trees. The highway patrol said two other people were hurt in weather-related wrecks.

Lambert Airport spokesman Jeff Lea said that by late morning, 60 arriving flights and 48 departing flights at Missouri's largest airport have been canceled due to the ice. A handful of flights were canceled at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport, but the airport remained open, according to a spokesman.

The storm began in California, dumping heavy snowfall in higher elevations that led to the evacuation of thousands of people as rivers surged.

Associated Press reporters Tim Talley and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, and Heather Hollingsworth and Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report.

The story has been corrected to reflect that the driver killed in a Missouri SUV accident was a woman.</s>The Missouri National Guard has been activated to assist emergency response agencies with the ice storm across a 1,000-mile swath of the midwest.

 Ice has started to accumulate on roads, sidewalks, trees, powerlines and houses. Missouri Department of Transportation continues to heavily treat roadways against freezing rain and sleet. 

 The National Weather Service has predicted a winter storm that could produce between a quarter inch up to more than half an inch of ice in Missouri, beginning early today. 

 Downed powerlines could cause a loss of power in some areas, leaving residents without heat. Temperatures are low, which could cause a potential hazard if prolonged exposure occurs.

 Missouri Guardsmen will be supporting relief agencies throughout affected Missouri areas, with missions that could include assisting stranded motorists, helping with clearing routes and helping residents get to shelter.</s>Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Great Plains Energy Inc (NYSE:GXP) by 51.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,380,744 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 469,056 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Great Plains Energy were worth $37,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GXP. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Great Plains Energy by 14.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,136,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $399,348,000 after buying an additional 1,697,073 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Fund Advisors boosted its position in Great Plains Energy by 20.5% in the third quarter. BlackRock Fund Advisors now owns 10,099,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,629,000 after buying an additional 1,717,362 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. boosted its position in Great Plains Energy by 24.8% in the third quarter. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. now owns 5,782,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,793,000 after buying an additional 1,149,431 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Great Plains Energy by 20.8% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,927,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,473,000 after buying an additional 846,985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Great Plains Energy by 8.2% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,683,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,803,000 after buying an additional 356,659 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.06% of the company’s stock.

Great Plains Energy Inc (NYSE:GXP) opened at 27.41 on Thursday. Great Plains Energy Inc has a 52-week low of $25.85 and a 52-week high of $32.74. The company has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91 and a beta of 0.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $27.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.02.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 29th were given a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 25th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. This is a positive change from Great Plains Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Great Plains Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.71%.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: “Great Plains Energy Inc (GXP) Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.” was originally published by The Vista Voice and is the sole property of of The Vista Voice. If you are reading this piece of content on another site, it was stolen and republished in violation of US & international copyright law. The legal version of this piece of content can be accessed at http://www.thevistavoice.org/2017/01/12/great-plains-energy-inc-gxp-shares-bought-by-principal-financial-group-inc/1149393.html.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on GXP shares. Zacks Investment Research cut Great Plains Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 11th. Bank of America Corporation upgraded Great Plains Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 3rd. Ladenburg Thalmann upgraded Great Plains Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 26th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Great Plains Energy in a report on Friday, September 30th. Finally, SunTrust Banks, Inc. increased their target price on Great Plains Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Great Plains Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.43.

Great Plains Energy Incorporated is a public utility holding company. The Company operates through electric utility segment. The Company does not own or operate any assets other than the stock of its subsidiaries. The Company’s subsidiaries with operations include Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L) and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company (GMO).

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GXP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Great Plains Energy Inc (NYSE:GXP).

Receive News & Ratings for Great Plains Energy Inc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Great Plains Energy Inc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.</s>More than a dozen states across the central United States are bracing for another round of winter storms expected to add to thick ice that already has glazed roads, grounded flights and prompted class cancellations amid warnings that people stay home.

Winter storms are typically associated with heavy snowfall, but the one that began hammering the southern Plains and Midwest on Friday dumped freezing rain — a condition even harder for road crews to treat. A slick roadway was suspected in a fatal wreck Friday in Missouri, where long stretches of Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 were ice-covered.

More freezing precipitation was expected in parts of the nation's central corridor throughout most of the weekend.

While many motorists heeded warnings to avoid road travel Friday, Butch Shadrick said his towing service in Missouri's St. Clair, about 80 kilometres southwest of St. Louis, said his fleet of five trucks handled at least eight calls for travellers who found themselves in ditches or other wrecks. That was after storms left about a quarter of an inch of sleet on that region, with the accumulation expected to double into Saturday.

"There's not a lot of people out there, but the ones who are are the ones paying the consequences," Shadrick said from his Hoffman's Towing & Service business.

In Kansas, the state's National Guard was mobilizing in advance of Saturday's storm, designating roughly 200 guardsmen to patrol key roads and help motorists stranded by icy conditions. The teams of soldiers also were to provide emergency transportation for law enforcers and other emergency responders, while staying ready to make warming stations available at local armouries as needed.

Hundreds of schools were closed Friday, including several college campuses. St. Louis closed all city operations as it braced for what could be its worst ice storm in at least a decade. Several Missouri prisons halted visiting hours.

The forecast prompted the NFL to move the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas Chiefs to Sunday evening to allow more time to treat roads and parking lots at Arrowhead Stadium. The game was scheduled to kick off at noon but will now start at 7:20 p.m.

The weather atmosphere was so turbulent that thunder rumbled as freezing rain fell in Joplin, Missouri.

Several utility companies brought in all available crews who were working extended shifts in anticipation of heavy ice snapping trees and power lines. Scattered outages were reported, including about 2,500 in Springfield, Missouri.

Forecasters issued ice storm warnings from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles into southern Illinois, with up to 2.5 centimetres of ice expected in some locations. Precipitation is forecast to fall in waves Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Residents were taking the warnings seriously. Grocery stores were selling out of bread, milk and other necessities, and hardware stores were running out of flashlights, batteries and alternative energy sources.

"They're grabbing generators, and I'm sold out," said Raymond Bopp, assistant manager of the Woodward Ace Hardware store in Woodward, Oklahoma, about 225 kilometres northwest of Oklahoma City.

Several states activated emergency management procedures. In Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin declared a disaster emergency. The state set up generators and supplies at temporary shelters in the northern part of the state. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and top Cabinet officials manned an emergency operations centre.

Missouri Department of Transportation crews were working 12-hour shifts to treat roads and highways, said Linda Wilson Horn, a MoDOT spokeswoman. She said some of the freezing rain washed the chemicals away as it melted.

"It'll be a long, constant battle for our crews," Horn said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Tiffany Jackson, 33, died Friday morning when her Chevy Trailblazer slid on an icy overpass on Interstate 55 near Festus, south of St. Louis, and struck several trees. The patrol said at least two other people were hurt in weather-related wrecks.

Lambert Airport spokesman Jeff Lea said that by late Friday morning, 60 arriving flights and 48 departing flights at Missouri's largest airport had been canceled due to the ice. A handful of flights were canceled at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport, but the airport remained open, according to a spokesman.
A winter storm pours ice rain on the Great Plains and American Midwest, causes power outages, school closures, and a traffic fatality in Missouri.