Winter storm blankets KC with up to 3 inches of snow — and it may not stop until Friday
For the third time in four weeks, a winter storm set its sights on the Kansas City area on a Thursday — but unlike the previous snowstorms, this one progressed as if it was in slow-motion.
Forecasters had warned that this storm would be different — a prolonged event, stretching over 24 to perhaps even 30 hours.
Between 4 and 6 inches of snow was expected over most of the metro area by the time the snow stopped falling Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Kansas City.
Shortly before noon Thursday, 1 to 3 inches of snow had already fallen across the Kansas City metro area and an additional 2 to 4 inches were expected to fall east of Interstate 35, the weather service said.
The highest snowfall totals were expected to be in an area roughly between the U.S. 36 corridor near St. Joseph and the U.S. 50 corridor near Kansas City.
School districts across the metro, including Blue Valley, Blue Springs, Independence, Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City, Liberty, Olathe, Park Hill and Shawnee Mission either canceled classes or turned to virtual learning.
Some governmental offices and services were also shut down because of the weather.
Light snow was reported at Kansas City International Airport around midnight. By 6 a.m. Thursday, just under an inch of snow had accumulated at the airport.
“You may not see a lot of snow on the ground right now, but light to moderate snow is expected most of the day,” the weather service said on Twitter.
What snow there was quickly caused road conditions to deteriorate in the metro. Numerous crashes early in the morning commute had transportation officials urging people to slow down and drive with caution.
“Please stay home and off the road this morning,” the Kansas Department of Transportation urged on Twitter.
Because of the poor weather conditions, several police departments in the area requested drivers who were involved in minor crashes with no injuries to report them at a later date.
By noon on Thursday, the Kansas Highway Patrol had responded to 18 crashes, including three injury crashes, as well as 31 slide-offs, said Trooper Tiffany Bush, a spokeswoman for the highway patrol.
In one crash, a semi jackknifed on northbound Interstate 35, blocking all lanes of traffic near West 67th Street. The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries, Bush said.
The highway patrol had 83 calls for service.
Meanwhile, the Missouri Highway Patrol troopers responded to 28 crashes, including three injury crashes, as of 11 a.m. They had 77 calls for service and helped 29 stranded motorists, said Sgt. Andy Bell, a spokesman for the highway patrol in Kansas City.
Prior to Thursday’s storm, Kansas City had 17.1 inches of snow, which is normal for this time of year, according to data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Climate Centers.
It’s normal for Kansas City to get 18.2 inches of snow annually. Looking at recent history — since 1991 — this winter could break into the Top 10 snowiest for Kansas City depending how much snow falls through Friday, according to weather data.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 1:45 PM.
