Winter’s first snow blankets Kansas City, bringing near white-out conditions, school closings
The first snow of the winter arrived in Kansas City on Monday — and it packed a wallop, blanketing the metro with several inches and bringing near white-out conditions on some area highways.
Snowflakes began falling early in the morning commute and quickly stuck to the pavement, leading to several crashes across the metro. Traffic slowed to a crawl as the major highways quickly became snow-covered and slippery, Kansas City Scout traffic cameras showed.
Swaths of moderate and heavy snowfall moved out of eastern Kansas into the metro area, and by mid-morning, reports of 2 inches of snow had already been reported. By noon, snowfall totals over 3 inches were being reported in parts of the metro, including 3.2 inches in Edwardsville and 3.4 inches near Blue Springs.
Some school districts in the Kansas City metro had canceled classes or moved to virtual learning in anticipation of the snow, including Blue Springs, Independence, Braymer, North Platte, Odessa, and West Platte school districts.
At least one district, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, noted that buses were running late Monday morning due to road conditions in some areas.
“This morning we had just a handful of buses get stuck,” said Markl Johnson, a spokesman for the district. “The locations varied, but our drivers and support staff did an amazing job making sure all students were transported safely.”
Also in Kansas City, Kansas, a fire truck responding on a medical call in the western part of the city slid off the road near 90th Street and Leavenworth. The firefighters were able to get the truck back on the road themselves roughly 20 seconds later, said Andrew Novak, a chief in emergency management operations for the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department.
As the storm and road conditions worsened, a cascade of school districts announced mid-morning that they would send children home early, including Kansas City, North Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas, Park Hill and Smithville.
A Raytown fire truck responding to a call slid off the road, and a tow truck had to free the pumper from a ditch along East 43rd Street near Blue Ridge Cutoff about mid-morning on Kansas City’s East Side, as road conditions worsened and more vehicles around the metro started to get stuck.
The National Weather Service in Kansas City updated its forecast shortly before 7 a.m. Monday saying that 3 to 4 inches of snow was expected from the winter storm, with the heaviest falling in the area between Interstate 70 and U.S. 36, which cuts across northern Missouri near St. Joseph.
Chuck Mcgee, a worker at Global Produce in the City Market, said they planned to close early at 3 p.m. due to lack of traffic in the area caused by the weather. The shop normally closes at 5 p.m.
“I figured more people would come in than this,” Mcgee said, adding there were 100% less customers than what he is used to on a normal Monday.
Bill Riley ventured out into the snow to get coffee at the Opera Coffee House & Food Emporium. He walked over from his apartment in the Library District.
“I needed to go to the market, but I also like going out in the snow,” he said.
The Opera Coffee House & Food Emporium had posted a note on its door that it was closing early at 1 p.m. due to the weather.
The metro’s first snowfall of the season is coming a few days late, according to Kansas City’s weather history.
The average first measurable snowfall typically comes around Nov. 28, based on the city’s weather history dating back to 1890. The earliest snowfall was Oct. 14, 2018, when .2 of an inch of snow was recorded. The latest was January 21, 1980, when .6 of an inch of snow fell in the metro for the 1979-1980 winter season.
The current baseline for what is normal is based on the 30-year period from 1991 to 2020. In Kansas City, the average first snowfall during that period was Nov. 29.
Monday’s snowstorm could equal or beat the metro’s average snowfall for the month, with virtually the whole month left to go. Typically, Kansas City sees about 4 inches of snow in December.
Among the cancellations that rolled in, Kansas City announced that it was delaying trash and recycling pick up by a day this week.
The city’s notice says: “To prioritize snow operations on Monday, December 1, 2025, and ensure driver safety — Solid Waste services such as Trash, Recycling, Leaf & Brush and Bulky Item collections are being postponed by one day.”
Snow was expected to continue falling throughout the afternoon, with an additional 1 to 2 inches of snow was possible before 6 p.m. Monday. The snow was expected to stop falling Monday evening.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:26 PM.
