KC’s snow risk rises as major winter storm threatens southern, eastern U.S.
Folks in the Kansas City area should prepare for even colder temperatures and the possibility of more snow this weekend, as a major winter storm moving across the southern and eastern U.S. could push snow further north into our region.
But before the bitter cold and snow arrive, the metro will get a break: sunny skies and highs reaching the mid-40s on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. That’s a bit warmer than the typical average high of 38 degrees for this time of year.
Temperatures will be closer to average on Thursday, climbing to a high of 40 degrees, but then Arctic air will begin to filter in later that night, the weather service said.
“This air pushes into the area, and will deliver a rapid decrease in temperatures, along with breezy northwesterly winds,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion. “This leads to a cold morning with bitter wind chills, especially along” the Iowa and Missouri state line.
The weather service has issued an extreme cold watch for Grundy, Harrison, Mercer, Putnam, Sullivan, Adair, and Schuyler counties in northern Missouri. Dangerously low wind chills as low as minus 23 will be possible.
The watch is in effect from late Thursday through Saturday morning.
“The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the weather service said.
The bitter cold will be felt in Kansas City as well. Daytime temperatures are expected to reach only 13 degrees before tumbling to around zero degrees overnight.
Wind chills will stay below zero throughout Friday, starting at minus 3 degrees shortly after midnight and dropping to minus 7 degrees by 6 a.m. By 6 p.m., the wind chill will be around minus 11.
The bitter wind chills will be even colder on Saturday morning, about minus 14 degrees, rising to around minus 3 by evening, according to the weather service.
Chance of snow increasing
The likelihood of a major winter storm is increasing. While the storm’s impact on the Kansas City metro is still uncertain, the probabilities of measurable snowfall have been increasing and shifting northward, the weather service said.
The timing of the storm reaching the metro has been pushed back into Saturday and is now expected to linger through Sunday, although some initial light snow may start falling late Friday, the weather service said.
In the past 24 hours, the probability of Kansas City seeing at least an inch of snow has risen from 25% to 59%, according to the weather service. The probability that the metro will get at least 3 inches is now 36%.
There will be a sharp cut-off along the northern edge of the snowfall, with a 30% to 40% chance for an inch of snow up to U.S. 36 across northern Missouri.
Areas with the highest chances of accumulating snow are along and south of Interstate 70, with the heaviest snowfall expected farther south, especially over the Ozarks, the weather service said.
There is still a lot of uncertainty about both how much snow will fall and exactly where the heaviest snow will be, the weather service said.
Forecasters will be closely watching for any shift in the storm’s path, including how two weather systems might come together and how winds affect moisture in the area — both of which could influence how much snow falls.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 9:25 AM.
