Prepare for travel issues as strong winter storm system likely to bring snow to KC area
Drivers should get ready for possible hazardous road conditions as a strong cross-country winter storm system is becoming more likely to bring snow to the Kansas City area early next week, the National Weather Service said.
While accumulating snowfall is likely, uncertainty remains in how much snow Kansas City can expect to see from the storm. Folks should keep an eye on the forecast over the next several days and prepare for travel issues on Monday into Tuesday, the weather service said.
The looming winter storm will be Kansas City’s second chance at snow within a few days.
The first chance of snow will follow what is expected to be mild winter conditions on Thursday, with temperatures climbing into the low 40s.
Rain is expected to start falling across the Kansas City area late Friday morning. As cooler air moves into the area late Friday into Saturday, the rain will transition over to snow, the weather service said.
Although accumulations of rain and snow are expected to be relatively light, a few slick spots are possible on area roads, especially on bridges and other elevated roads, the weather service said. There is also a possibility that the snow will lower visibility at times.
There’s more than a 90% chance that snowfall totals will be less than an inch, the weather service said. For most, snow accumulations will be light — around a dusting to a half inch.
The snow is expected to end early Saturday, with conditions becoming generally dry through the remainder of the weekend. Near-normal temperatures are expected. Typically, temperatures in Kansas City this time of year reach the upper 30s.
How much snow will Kansas City get?
By Monday morning, the next winter storm system will be advancing across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, bringing rain to the Kansas City area, according to the weather service.
Colder air will arrive later in the day across the Kansas City area, causing the rain to transition into a rain/snow mix and then to all snow overnight into Tuesday morning.
Although the weather service is 90% confident that accumulating snow is going to fall across a good portion of the Kansas City region, uncertainty remains in how the storm will track across the area and how much snow will fall, the weather service said.
There is at least a 60% chance that a swath of 2 to 3 inches of snow will fall across a portion of the region before the storm system exits Tuesday night.
Snow amounts will be heavily influenced by how quickly or slowly the transition to snow is Monday evening into Tuesday morning, the weather service stressed in its forecast discussion.
“At this time, it would be a good idea if you have travel plans Monday or Tuesday next week to prepare for potential delays,” the weather service said. “There’s a 40 to 60 percent chance of winter driving conditions that could disrupt commutes and travel with hazardous driving conditions.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 8:39 AM.
