Light snow begins falling in Kansas City; heavier snowfall to come during Chiefs game
Light snow began falling in the Kansas City area Sunday morning and is expected to increase in intensity throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill.
Area roads will likely be covered with snow by noon, according to the weather service. The weather service has issued a winter storm warning for the region, saying heavy mixed precipitation is expected. The Kansas City area is expected to see between 4 and 6 inches of snow. Meanwhile, other areas could see as much as 5 to 7 inches.
That could make conditions challenging for fans headed to Arrowhead Stadium for the noon football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.
The weather service urged drivers to “take things very safely if you end up venturing out today.”
“We are going to continue to see the heaviest snow after noon, obviously during the Chiefs game but into the evening,” said FOX4 meteorologist Garry Frank, who provides weather updates to The Star. “We are looking 3 to 5 inches total, because I think we are going to have a half-inch to even upwards to an inch per hour snowfall rates.”
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The Star produced this weather update in partnership with the local FOX4 television station. The station’s meteorologists create forecast videos multiple times a day for the newspaper to include in its weather reports.
The winter storm warning is in effect for east central and northeast Kansas and west central Missouri, including Miami, Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Platte, Clay, Jackson and Cass counties in Missouri.
Steady snowfall is expected for areas south of the Missouri River. However, there will be occasional periods of heavy snow exceeding 1 to 2 inches per hour. Areas north of the Missouri River should expect light snow during the storm, according to the national weather service.
Some areas, mainly along and south of the Missouri River, also could see around .1 of an inch of ice Sunday night.
While the snowfall will gradually taper off end Sunday evening, a second round of snow is possible Monday, adding another inch or two to Sunday’s snowfall total.
“We still are expecting snow in the morning hours that could affect your morning commute,” Frank with FOX4 said.
Throughout the day Monday, the storm is expected to shift to the south, with heavier snow in the southern parts of the Kansas City area.
“It may not be the heaviest burst of snow all day, not like what we will have seen on Sunday, but I still expect it to even impact the evening rush hour before it gets out of here completely and its much colder,” Frank said. “It’s still high impact even though it’s less snow.”
The weather service said road conditions could become slippery and drivers should expected hazardous road conditions both Sunday and Monday.
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 8:44 AM.
