Evergy prepared for power outages from predicted Kansas City snowstorm, company says
As a winter storm bringing heavy snowfall is predicted to arrive in Kansas City on Wednesday, utility company Evergy has maintenance crews on standby to address power outages that may result.
“Given the forecast, we have deployed additional resources at Evergy power plants to be prepared for a potential increase in energy demand,” Chuck Caisley, Evergy senior vice president and chief customer officer, said in a statement Tuesday. “Our line crews are prepared and, if outages occur, will begin restoring power as soon as conditions are safe.”
Earlier Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a winter advisory saying Kansas City and the surrounding region could see as much as a foot of snow. Also possible are a brief window of freezing rain and bitterly cold temperatures, according to the warning.
The winter storm warning is in effect from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Thursday for the Kansas City area as well as portions of east-central and northeast Kansas and most of Missouri.
Evergy noted a winter storm roughly one year ago that created challenges across its coverage area as a result of high demand and a limited ability to generate power. During that event, Evergy rolled out controlled service interruptions — a step company officials do not believe will be necessary for the coming storm.
“Winter storm Uri was an unusual event that required controlled power interruptions that were the first in more than 80 years,” Caisley said in the statement. “The weather this week looks more like a typical winter storm that we’ve all experienced many times before. We’ve taken steps necessary at our power plants to ensure they’re ready during this storm.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 4:29 PM.
