Timing of Kansas City’s winter storm will be the problem Wednesday, not snow amount
Snow showers will move into the Kansas City area overnight, but it’s not the amount of snow that people need to be concerned with, according to FOX4 meteorologist Michelle Bogowith.
“Unfortunately, it’s the timing of this event that will cause traffic troubles for Wednesday morning,” said Bogowith, who provides weather updates to The Star.
The snow is expected to fall in the metro area after midnight and increase in intensity headed into the morning commute, she said. The snowfall will start winding down by mid-morning, with the winter storm moving out of the area by noon.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we did this story
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.
A closer look at the forecast
“Really, not a whole lot happening throughout much of the day today,” Bogowith said. “It’s not until this evening that we will start to build in thicker, lower cloud cover. And then comes the snow, mostly after midnight.”
By 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, people headed out the door during the morning rush hour will likely see snow falling across the metro area.
“This could leave us with a coating of snow on the roadways, creating some very slick conditions,” Bogowith said. “I would definitely pad in some extra travel time for your Wednesday morning commute.”
The Kansas City District of the Missouri Department of Transportation urged drivers to be on the lookout for flurries Tuesday night into the morning commute.
“Be weather aware,” the agency said on Twitter. “Be safe. Be smart.”
After the snow races out of the area, the metro will be left with cloud cover for a good chunk of the rest of the work week, she said.
The Kansas City area is expected to receive only a dusting to 1 inch of snow from the storm, Bogowith said.
The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill, however, has issued a winter weather advisory for areas south and east of the immediate Kansas City area, where the forecast indicates heavier snowfall of 1 to 2 inches is possible.
Although highs will be in the low 30s on Wednesday and upper 30s on Thursday, temperatures will begin warming on Friday with highs reaching the 60s on Super Bowl Sunday and Monday.
