Winter storm watch issued south of Kansas City as expansive storm threatens U.S.
Heavy snow will be possible for parts of the Kansas City area as an expansive winter storm targets the southern and eastern parts of the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
Early Wednesday afternoon, the weather service issued a winter storm watch for Miami and Linn counties in Kansas and Johnson, Pettis, Cooper, Bates and Henry counties in Missouri, saying that as much as 5 inches will be possible.
The snow is expected to arrive in the area as early as late Friday night and continue into late Saturday. The watch covers portions of east-central Kansas and central and west-central Missouri.
Cities included in the watch are Sedalia, Butler, Warrensburg, Rich Hill, Adrian, Clinton, Windsor, Belton, Boonville, Harrisonville, Pleasanton, Osawatomie, La Cygne, Raymore, Pleasant Hill, Paola, Louisburg and Mound City, Kansas.
“Travel could become very difficult,” the weather service said. “Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.”
Meanwhile, the weather service in Springfield, Missouri, has issued a winter storm watch for portions of southeast Kansas and central, east-central, south-central, southwest and west-central Missouri, where between 2 and 7 inches are possible. The lower end amounts are more likely in central Missouri.
The weather service in Wichita has also issued a winter storm watch, saying between 4 and 7 inches of snow is expected in portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Some areas could see higher snowfall totals.
Both watches are in effect from Friday afternoon through late Saturday night.
The watches come as a major winter storm capable of producing swaths of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain is targeting the southern and eastern parts of the United States, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
Heavy snow is expected in the southern Rockies and the south-central Plains, extending eastward through the mid-Atlantic. Broad swaths of freezing rain and sleet are expected south of the snow over the southern Plains, mid-south and Carolinas.
The storm’s impact on Kansas City is still uncertain. However, the storm’s path has shifted northward, increasing the probability of measurable snowfall in the metro area, according to the weather service.
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 could receive at least 3 inches is 36%.
The storm is not expected to reach the Kansas City area until Saturday, although some light snow might start falling late Friday.
There will be a sharp cut-off along the northern edge of the snowfall, so areas north of the metro up to U.S. 36 across northern Missouri have a 30% to 40% chance of seeing an inch of snow.
Areas with the highest chances of accumulating snow remain along and south of Interstate 70, with the heaviest snowfall expected farther south, especially over the Ozarks, the weather service said.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 3:02 PM.
