Winter storm dumps more than 9 inches of snow on parts of Kansas City metro
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Winter storm hits Kansas City
Another round of winter weather has arrived in Kansas City, bringing with it ice, snow and wind gusts up to 35 mph. The storm has caused slick roads as well as school and office closures.
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A winter storm buried Kansas City in a thick layer of snow Thursday, causing traffic problems across the metro, flight cancellations and school closures.
Driving conditions rapidly deteriorated early in the morning commute as freezing rain and sleet switched over to snow that blanketed area streets and highways.
The intense snow started falling shortly before 5 a.m. and continued for several hours. By noon, 6.4 inches of snow had fallen at Kansas City International Airport, breaking the previous daily record of 6 inches set back in 1893.
Early in the transition from freezing rain to snow, rare thundersnow was reported at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, the weather service said on social media around 5 a.m. Thursday.
Sustained wind gusts up to 35 mph created blowing and drifting snow, leading to reduced visibility and near blizzard conditions.
The conditions proved challenging for drivers.
“The number of slide-offs is starting to mount up,” the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Kansas City District said on social media “Plz slow down and take it easy. Drive according to the conditions. Be Safe. Be Smart.”
A two-car crash along northbound Interstate 49 near the Three Trails Crossings in southern Kansas City had closed two lanes of the highway. Another crash was reported along southbound Interstate 29 at U.S. 169 highway in Kansas City’s Northland.
Drivers were also having difficulties along westbound Interstate 70 near Troost Avenue in Kansas City. Emergency response crews gave motorists “a little push to get them going,” MoDOT Kansas City said on Twitter.
Weather conditions at Kansas City International Airport indicated that heavy snow was falling with winds of 24 mph and gusts up to 41 mph. That limited visibility to a quarter of a mile with a vertical visibility of 500 feet, prompting dozens of flights to be delayed or canceled.
As of 7:30 a.m. Thursday, 29 departing flights had been canceled and another seven had been delayed. Arriving flights were faring a bit better with only eight flights canceled and five delayed.
The airlines being affected by the weather included American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United airlines. The cancellations were affecting travel to popular destinations including Cancun, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Newark, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio Tampa and Washington D.C.
Several area schools also canceled classes or moved to virtual learning because of the inclement weather. Districts including Blue Valley, Independence, Kansas City, Kansas, Liberty, North Kansas City, Olathe and Shawnee Mission had a snow day. Others including Blue Springs, Center, Lee’s Summit and Park Hill held classes remotely. Kansas City Public Schools had announced a day off prior to the winter weather.
Preliminary snowfall totals around noon Thursday included 9.3 inches in Kansas City, Kansas, and 7.5 inches in Olathe, where two-foot snow drifts were measured. Just over 6 inches of snow had fallen in Lenexa, 6.8 inches in Shawnee and 6.7 inches in Parkville with drifts over a foot.
This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 12:45 PM.
