ST. LOUIS– Portions of Illinois spent Friday digging out after a winter storm dumped more than a half-foot of snow in some areas while caking others with a mix of sleet and freezing rain. All of it snarled air traffic and forced school cancellations.

The National Weather Service said the west-central Illinois town of Rushville was among the hardest hit, with 7.5 inches of snow. Things in the slow-paced rural town, known for few things other than being the hometown of Miss Illinois 2012 Megan Ervin, became glacial.

“It came pretty quick. Within two or three minutes, the road was covered,” Rushville City Clerk Stacey Briney said Friday. Schools remained closed there a day after being shuttered early.