New Year to bring Kansas City’s first winter storm of the season. Here’s what to expect
The New Year will get off a shaky start weather-wise as a winter storm is expected to move into the Kansas City region bringing bitter cold, accumulating snow and possibly some freezing rain, according to the National Weather Service in Kansas City.
The weather service has issued a winter storm watch for the Kansas City region as widespread wintry precipitation is expected, including snowfall totaling between 2 and 8 inches across the region and ice accumulations of a tenth of an inch possible.
In the immediate Kansas City metro area, between 3 and 6 inches of snow is possible.
Areas north of Kansas City, along and north of a line stretching from St. Joseph to Chillicothe to Kirksville, will likely see the highest snowfall totals. Meanwhile, areas south of Kansas City, along a line from Butler to Sedalia to Boonville, will likely have the greatest ice accumulations, the weather service said.
In addition to the wintry precipitation, the storm system will bring bitter cold temperatures — the coldest since the intense cold snap of February 2021.
Temperatures will drop below freezing Saturday morning and not return above freezing until Monday. The coldest temperatures will come Sunday morning, falling to near zero degrees, and will be accompanied by wind chills in the -5 to -20 degree range, according to the weather service.
“Very cold temperatures and wind chills Saturday and Saturday night will impact vulnerable populations as well as make travel more dangerous in the event that you become stranded in your vehicle,” the weather service said in its winter storm watch.
Timing of the storm
The winter storm is expected to arrive in the Kansas City late Friday night, bringing winter precipitation primarily in the form of rain that could transition into a wintry mix.
“Winter weather impacts could begin as early as shortly after midnight so if you are out and about for New Year’s festivities stay weather aware,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
The rain is expected to transition to snow north of the Missouri River Saturday morning while remaining a mix of rain, snow and freezing rain along and south of the Missouri River. By midday Saturday, the wintry mix is expected to transition to all snow for the most of the Kansas City region, according to the weather service.
The snow will gradually stop falling from west to east through the evening hours.
Temperatures will be around freezing at the start of the New Year and continue to plunge throughout the day Saturday. By Sunday morning, temperatures in the Kansas City are expected to be only a few degrees above zero, with wind chills near -10 degrees.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-20s on Sunday. Sunday night will not be as cold as Saturday night, but temperatures will range from single digits to the teens.
The cold will be short lived as a warm up begins Monday. Highs are expected to return to the upper 30s to mid-40s along with sunny skies that should melt snow. Tuesday will be warmer, but another cold front is expected to bring cooler temperatures Wednesday night, the weather service said.
No precipitation is expect between Sunday and late next week.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 7:20 AM.
