Winter storm watch issued in Kansas City area; 3 to 6 inches of snow possible, NWS says
The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter storm watch for the Kansas City area ahead of a weekend storm that could dump 3 to 6 inches of snow.
The weather service is also estimating around two-tenths of an inch of ice.
The winter storm watch is expected to be in effect from 6 p.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Saturday. The watch covers parts of east-central and northeast Kansas as well as north-central, northeast, northwest and west-central Missouri. It includes Jackson County and surrounding counties in the Kansas City area.
The storm, which is expected to arrive in the area Friday evening, will likely create dangerous travel conditions, the weather service warned in its advisory.
Transportation officials, highway patrol gearing up for storm
The Kansas Department of Transportation in the Kansas City area said on Twitter that it has added a light stick to its 8-foot wing plows on its trucks. The new gear is being utilized to improve the visibility of the wing plows. Transportation officials in Kansas are also asking drivers to keep their distance and to not pass the trucks on the right, where the wing plows are located.
Because the area may see several inches of snow, the Kansas Highway Patrol said in a statement it plans on towing any abandoned vehicles from the shoulders of the interstates and highways beginning 2 p.m. Friday. Moving the vehicles off the roads will help the plow trucks remove the snow, the highway patrol said.
Drivers who have had their vehicles towed in Kansas may call *47 to speak with the highway patrol to determine where their vehicle was taken. Towing will be at the owner’s expense, it said.
Troop A of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which covers the Kansas City area, tweeted Thursday that drivers should “start preparing & planning for alternate weekend travel plans” ahead of the storm. “IF you must travel, take your time, know your routes, & BE SAFE!,” it said.
Drivers can check the status of Missouri highways and interstates by checking the traveler map on the Missouri Department of Transportation’s website. MoDOT said those who are traveling this weekend should also check their vehicles and prepare an emergency kit, including items like gloves, blankets, water, a flashlight, ice scraper, cat litter and jumper cables.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
