Dangerous Winter Storm Approaching Kansas City

A dangerous winter storm is making its way to the Kansas City area. Meteorologists say that this storm could be the biggest the region has faced in years. The storm is expected to hit the Kansas City area late Wednesday night and continue through Thursday.

The Thursday morning commute could be extremely problematic for drivers. Areas to the north of Kansas City are expected to get up to six inches of snow, while the Kansas City metro will likely get a dangerous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Areas to the south of Kansas City will likely see a mixture of rain and freezing rain.

The largest amount of snow is expected to fall between Leavenworth and Richmond, MO, while St. Joseph will receive a heavy amount of snow as well. The largest amount of ice accumulation will likely take place in a line from Paola, KS to Warrensburg, MO. Areas south of US 50 highway, including southern Kansas City, are expected to receive the most ice from the storm.

A winter storm watch has been issued to the entire Kansas City region, including the counties of Atchison, Miami, Linn, Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson in Kansas and Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Platte, Clay, Ray, Jackson, Lafayette, Cass, Johnson, Bates and Henry in Missouri. This includes the cities of Leavenworth, Overland Park, Olathe, Parkville, Kansas City, Harrisonville and St. Joseph.

Due to the approaching storm, grocery stores across the metro were packed yesterday with people prepared to be stuck in their homes for a few days. Kansas City residents have also taken interest in the storm due to the Weather Channel’s recent announcement that they will start naming winter storms this year.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Winter Storm Approaching Kansas City

Kansas City residents have had the luxury of enjoying a mild winter so far, but that appears to be changing tonight. A winter storm is heading towards KC and is expected to bring snow and blizzard conditions to many areas in the greater metro.

It appears that the worst part of the storm will actually pass north of the city and mostly hit Iowa, which is some good news. Iowa is expected to receive six to 10 inches of snow, while Kansas City will likely only receive a couple inches of snow. As much as seven inches of snow is expected in areas such as St. Joseph and Kirksville. Rain is expected to begin to fall around Kansas City this afternoon, which will turn into snow later this evening.

There is also a high chance of thunderstorms with severe winds hitting the region. With expected winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts of 45 to 50 mph, many areas around Kansas City could experience blizzard conditions.

The Kansas Highway Patrol has issued several trips to drivers that will be battling these conditions. The Patrol suggests slowing down, avoiding cruise control, using headlights, as well as replacing wiper blades and checking tire pressure and tread. It is also important to check that your vehicle’s fluids are all full. Pickup truck drivers need to add sand bags to their beds to help with traction control, and all vehicles should have a shovel in the trunk.

All Kansas City residents need to take extreme caution, even in areas where there is not an abundance of snow. Last year, 55 crashes occurred in Overland Park during the first five hours of a snow storm, despite a light amount of snowfall.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Kansas City Area Braces for Another Round of Snow

If you believe the hype, this could be the biggest snow storm Kansas City has seen in 50 years. I've lived here my whole life; usually the amount of hype is inversely proportional to the amount of snow we actually get. That being said, it sure looks like we are going to have at least a moderate snowfall, with higher accumulations to the south, especially southeast.

The consensus seems to be 4 inches up to a possible 14 inches, depending on where in the area you are at. This does not bode well for Those who live in Kansas City Proper and do not own a 4WD vehicle. Unplowed streets with 10 inches of snow or more would be impassable for days (we are looking at temperatures below zero following the storm.) To make matters worse, the forecast also calls for strong winds making drifting of snow a real problem as well.

I, for one, will be at home in my jammies and slippers watching the snow. I recommend you do the same.