‘Extremely slick’: Rush hour crashes pile up on KC roads as brutal wind chills grip metro
The morning rush hour got off to a shaky start as slick road conditions were leading to numerous crashes across the Kansas City metro area, according to officials.
“Please slow down and use caution,” the North Kansas City Police said in a post on social media. “Roadway is slick!!”
The plea came about 6 a.m. Friday after officers responded to numerous crashes along Interstate 35 in the city.
Two crashes were reported about 3:30 a.m. on the Bond Bridge. At the time, police said roads were extremely slick. About 4:30 a.m., police said there was a three-car accident along southbound I-35 at Bedford Avenue. And about 6 a.m., police said two more crashes occurred, this time along southbound and northbound I-35 at Bedford.
Kansas City Scout was reporting a multiple vehicle crash that closed two lanes along northbound Interstate 635 near Kansas Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Olathe Fire Department urged people to watch their steps as they venture outside.
“We don’t want you to accidentally slip, trip, take a dip and crack a hip,” the fire department said.
Commuters were also dealing with extremely cold conditions as they headed out Friday.
“The best way we can describe the weather this morning is BRRRRR,” the National Weather Service in Kansas City said on social media.
Temperatures plunged to four degrees below zero overnight at Kansas City International Airport. Wind chills made it feel more like -17 degrees.
Brutally cold temperatures are expected to continue through Saturday. A wind chill warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Friday, with some areas in the region seeing the possibility of wind chills as low as -35 degrees.
“The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes with wind chill values as cold as -35,” the weather service said.
The warning will switch over to an advisory that will run to Saturday evening, with wind chills as low as -20 degrees possible.
Kansas City was only expected to climb to about 6 degrees on Friday before dipping overnight. Temperatures on Christmas Eve morning will be just above zero in the metro area. By the afternoon, conditions will have warmed into the mid-teens.
The cold continues into Christmas, where morning temperatures will be about four degrees. Afternoon temps will be in the low 20s, much warmer but still well below freezing.
Conditions will rebound next week, with temperatures climbing into the low and mid-50s on Wednesday and Thursday. Typically, temps are near 40 degrees this time of year in Kansas City.
