Leaving freezing Kansas City for Christmas? What travel experts advise for the roads, at KCI
The holidays can be hectic for traveling, and the impending weather in Kansas City won’t make it any easier.
Whether you’re traveling on the ground or through the air, you can expect a lot of traffic and likely hazardous weather conditions.
AAA estimates more than 112.7 million people will journey 50 miles or more away from home from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2. That’s 3.6 million more people than last year. It’s expected to be the third-busiest holiday travel year recorded since AAA began tracking stats in 2000.
“This year, travel time will be extended due to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on Sundays,” Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel, said in a statement. “With hybrid work schedules, we are seeing more people take long weekends to travel because they can work remotely at their destination and be more flexible with the days they depart and return.”
If you’re headed somewhere for the holidays, here’s what you need to know.
WHAT WILL THE WEATHER BE LIKE?
Cold, and snowy.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits and even below zero around Christmas, according to Emily Klaus, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
A winter storm is expected to hit Kansas City Wednesday, along with an arctic blast. Snow is expected to start falling Wednesday afternoon and continue to Thursday morning.
Snowfall totals in the Kansas City metro area will range between 2 and 4 inches of snow. Meanwhile, northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri could see as much as 6 inches of snow. Areas east of Kansas City into north-central Missouri could see 2 to 3 inches of snow and a trace to an inch of snow in central Missouri, Klaus said.
Because of the extreme cold, NWS is encouraging people to plan ahead. They are also urging people to keep their pets’ safety in mind too. Those with pets outside should provide them with some kind of heat source or bring them inside because of extreme conditions.
People who tend to get frozen pipes should make sure they leave their cabinets open to expose the pipes to warmer air and leave their faucets running.
Here are other tips for braving the extremely cold temperatures.
WHEN SHOULD I HIT THE ROAD?
Depending on when you take to the streets, here are AAA’s predictions for the best and worst times to travel by car:
Dec. 23: Best times are before 2 p.m. and after 8 p.m. Worst times are between 4-7 p.m.
Dec. 24: Best times are before 11 a.m. and after 7 p.m. Worst times are between noon-6 p.m.
Dec. 26: Best times are before noon and after 7 p.m. Worst times are between 2-6 p.m.
Dec. 27-30: Best times are before 2 p.m. and after 8 p.m. Worst times are between 3-7 p.m.
Jan. 2: Best times are before 3 p.m. and after 8 p.m. Worst times are between 4-7 p.m.
AAA expects minimal travel to take place on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The NWS is “strongly discouraging” travel on Thursday and Friday because of the impending storm, as white-out and near blizzard-like conditions are possible and could make driving hazardous.
Klaus also said that if you have to drive, you should prepare a kit so that you can stay warm should the power go out, along with having non-perishable food items and water bottles. Bring a few blankets in case you get caught in a snowstorm.
WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE TO KCI?
AAA predicts over 7.2 million people to travel by air this holiday season, a 14% increase compared to 2021. Justin Meyer, the deputy director of aviation with Kansas City, expects 488,000 passengers to arrive and depart during the holiday period, a 17% increase compared to last year.
Meyer also said that the busiest days at the airport will be Dec. 22, 23 and 30.
It’s going to be crowded, so airport officials suggest that you get to the airport at least two hours before your scheduled departure. Airports have rush hours too, and those usually are between 5-7 a.m. or 4-6 p.m. If you want to avoid it, consider booking your flight outside of those hours.
Some major airlines are offering waivers if people want to change their flights from KCI to avoid the winter storm.
Save time going through TSA screening by packing everything properly ahead of time. Holiday food favorites such as gravy, cranberry sauce, wine, jam and preserves should all go into a checked bag because they are not solids.
If you can spill, spray, spread, pump or pour it, then it’s not a solid item and should be packed in a checked bag. Passengers can bring food such as cakes and other baked goods through the checkpoints.
While wrapped presents are allowed, don’t waste time wrapping them before your flight. TSA might have to unwrap them for safety reasons. Check here for what you can and can’t bring on a flight.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
