Kansas City area gets its first snow of the season; hard freeze expected for some
An early winter storm is bringing the Kansas City area it’s first taste of snow and first hard freeze of the season on Monday, said FOX4 meteorologist Karli Ritter.
Metro residents were waking up to a light falling snow that was making roads wet. Light snow was accumulating mainly on grassy surfaces, although some people will need to brush off their cars before they head out to work.
“Today is going to be one of those days were we drop below freezing — we may even drop into the upper 20s for a brief amount of time,” said Ritter, who provides weather updates to The Star.
There may be some warming late in the afternoon, but temperatures will remain at or below freezing for most of the day, she said.
“As a result, we may have a little snow or a little wintry mix to deal with but it’s not going to be a widespread big issue,” Ritter said. “In fact we will have some slick spots, but as the day unfolds, you’ll notice the bulk of the activity starts to try to shift to the south of I-70. It doesn’t mean we won’t have stuff here in town or north of I-70, but the greater chances for maybe a little more snow is down there.”
It’s expected to remain cold overnight, with temperatures expected to remain in the upper 20s to low 30s.
“And then there’s another little wave that could bring some winter weather to our forecast early” Tuesday morning, Ritter said.
The rest of the week looks warmer, brighter and drier with highs climbing into the toe 40s and 50s later in the week.
“Halloween actually may be touching 60 degrees,” Ritter said.
Roads are wet and the Missouri Department of Transportation in Kansas City urged commuters to use extreme caution, especially on bridges and overpasses.
BEHIND THE STORY
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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 National Weather Service in Kansas City has issued a winter weather advisory which includes the Kansas City metro area that is in effect until 1 a.m. Tuesday.
Areas north of Interstate 70 will see light snow accumulations of a dusting to around an inch of snow. Meanwhile, areas south of Interstate 35 and I-70 may see higher amounts of 1 to 3 inches possible. Some areas could see higher amounts, according to the advisory.
Driver should plan on slippery road conditions, which could affect the morning and evening commutes. There could be brief periods of moderate to heavy snowfall, reducing visibility to below a mile at times.
A hard freeze is expected overnight as temperatures are expected to fall into the upper teens in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas. On average, Kansas City’s first freeze typically happens on Oct 27.
The snow is expected to fall throughout the day Monday, coming to an end after sunset around 6:30 p.m.
There’s a chance for light freezing rain or freezing drizzle for areas south of the Missouri River overnight into Tuesday morning.
Record breaking snows in October are becoming a normal occurrence for Kansas City, according to the weather service.
In 2018, Kansas City had it’s earliest snow fall record on Oct. 14. Last year, Kansas City had three snowstorms which set the record for most measurable snowfalls during the month of October.
This year, could be the first time Kansas City has a measurable snowfalls in three straight years.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 7:13 AM.
