Snow tapers off KC metro as freezing becomes a concern

A wet, sloppy snow ended shortly after noon Sunday in the Kansas City metro area, leaving behind wet pavement that threatened to turn into ice as temperatures dropped.

City plows salted main roadways at lunchtime as a north wind howled. The temperature in midtown at 12:30 p.m. was 10 degrees cooler than two hours earlier.

Despite the fear of slick roads, though, it appeared the Kansas City metro would escape the worst of the winter storm, which pounded parts of northern Missouri and most of Iowa.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for counties generally north and east of a Maryville-Chillicothe-Macon line in Missouri until 9 p.m. Sunday, as that region faced snowfalls of 8 inches in some spots.

Counties southwest of that line but north of Interstate 70 were issued a winter weather advisory.

Snowfall between 3 and 6 inches was predicted for those areas, with heavier snow closer to the Iowa border.

The Missouri Department of Transportation said highways in the upper third of the state were snow-covered Sunday morning, from Kansas to Illinois. A semi-truck jacknifed near Chillicothe shortly after 4 a.m., closing Missouri highway 36.

Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte said in a tweet that no major accidents had been reported by mid-morning. A few fender-benders were a concern.

Less than an inch of snow accumulated on grassy areas in the metropolitan area from the overnight snow, and roads and highways remained passable despite a slushy mix of precipitation.

Temperatures were forecast to fall into the 20s by afternoon, potentially making roads more hazardous if the pavement freezes.

To reach Dave Helling, call 816-234-4656 or send email to dhelling@kcstar.com.

This story was originally published February 1, 2015 at 7:53 AM with the headline "Snow tapers off KC metro as freezing becomes a concern."