Winter to ring in New Year bringing Kansas City its first frigid temps, chance of snow
Better find those winter coats and hats Kansas City. The start of the New Year won’t be very kind if you’re a fan of warm weather.
After an uncharacteristically warm December, the Kansas City region has the chance this weekend to see its first days where temperatures remain below freezing and its first measurable snowfall of the winter season, according to the National Weather Service in Kansas City.
A strong cold front arriving New Year’s Eve is expected to send Kansas City’s temperatures plummeting. With temperatures likely to be at or below freezing at midnight, Saturday could be the first time this winter where daily temperatures remain below freezing, according to the weather service.
Only in the winters of 1965-1966, 1931-1932 and 1912-1913 did Kansas Citians wait longer to see their first day of below freezing temperatures.
Temperatures are expected to drop throughout New Year’s Day, falling into the teens by Saturday afternoon. By Sunday morning, temperatures are expected to be near zero degrees with wind chills plunging into the negative teens in some locations, according to the weather service.
“These will be the first severely cold temperatures of the winter season and the coldest since the intense cold snap of February 2021,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
With the bitter cold temps expected, the Kansas City Fire Department urged people using space heaters to keep warm to use them them correctly.
Although some areas north of the metro near the Iowa border could see light snow on Wednesday, the wintry precipitation should avoid the Kansas City metro area.
Kansas City’s better chance for its first snow comes when the cold front arrives on Friday night. Although there is uncertainty with how much and where the heaviest snow may fall, the storm system will likely bring accumulating snow to most, if not all, of the Kansas City region, the weather service said.
Northeast Kansas and northern Missouri have the better chances of seeing one inch or more of snow.
The weather service expects the forecast to become more certain in the next day or two.
