Winter storm arrives in Kansas City, bringing snow and freezing temperatures
A winter storm arrived in the Kansas City area Wednesday morning, bringing snow and slushy precipitation, according to the FOX4 meteorologist Michelle Bogowith.
The storm approached from the southwest and snow was expected to fall first south of Interstate 70 Wednesday morning, said Bogowith, who provides weather updates to The Star.
“Then it will continue to carry northward into the lunch hour for the day today,” she said. The snow will change over to a wintry mix of rain and snow during the afternoon as temperatures climb a few degrees above freezing.
“So your morning commute today: no issues,” Bogowith said. “Your evening commute shouldn’t have too many issues.”
But it’s Thursday’s morning’s commute that Bogowith is more concerned about as an Arctic blast spills into the area.
The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for the Kansas City area until midnight, as the winter storm will create a mess with a mixture of slushy snow and rain. Flash freezing will be possible overnight as temperatures plunge into the single digits.
The weather service has also issued a wind chill advisory effective overnight Wednesday until noon Thursday. Bitterly cold wind chills are expected. Some areas could see wind chills as low as -15 degrees.
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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.
With the snow falling in the Kansas City metro area, the Missouri Highway Patrol’s Troop A sent a tweet urging drivers to slow down, saying a common factor in crashes is that people are driving too fast for conditions.
Timing of the storm
By 9 a.m. Wednesday, the storm will be moving closer and closer to the I-70 corridor of the Kansas City area, bringing snow showers, Bogowith said. The storm and snow will continue to spread north as the lunch hour approaches, she said.
The snow will transition over to a wintry mix of rain and slushy snow through the afternoon and into the evening.
“But cold air spills back in later tonight and we’ll transition back to snow,” Bogowith said. “About 1 to 2 slushy inches is expected — some higher totals for folks on the Missouri side and points out to our east and southeast.”
Kansas City will wake up to temperatures in the single digits Thursday along with sub-zero wind chills. There’s also a potential for the flash freezing of any moisture that’s lingering around, Bogowith said.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 7:03 AM.
