Winter storm warning issued for KC area: Travel could be ‘impossible’
Updated: 1:37 PM CST Jan 3, 2025
THAT’S HOW I THOUGHT OF THAT. I DID. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. TODAY IS A COLD, BUT GOOD DAY TO FINISH YOUR PREPARATIONS. GET READY FOR OUR WINTER EVENT. YOU’LL STILL HAVE TIME TOMORROW MORNING, BUT TODAY YOU’RE GUARANTEED NO PRECIPITATION, ICE AND SNOW STORMS STARTING TOMORROW. LATE MORNING. EARLY AFTERNOON IS WHEN IT GETS GOING AND CONTINUES ALL DAY SUNDAY. THERE COULD BE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ON SUNDAY. HERE’S OUR SETUP. WE’RE NICE AND QUIET HERE IN KANSAS CITY. JUST CLOUDY. OUR STORM COMING IN ACROSS THE WEST. AND WHEN IT ARRIVES, WHEN IT COMES OVER THE ROCKIES, IT IS GOING TO DRAW WARM AIR UP. GREAT, RIGHT? FANTASTIC. LET’S GET INTO SOME WARM AIR. WE DON’T GET IT. WE DON’T GET IT AT THE SURFACE LIKE THEY DO IN TEXAS. BUT THAT WARM AIR IS GOING TO RIDE UP AND OVER OUR COLD AIR AT THE SURFACE. SO AT THE GROUND WHERE WE ARE, IT’S GOING TO BE FREEZING. BUT RIGHT ABOVE US, BETWEEN US AND THE CLOUDS, THE TEMPERATURE WILL BE A LITTLE BIT WARMER. AND THEREFORE WHEN THE SNOW FALLS FROM THE CLOUD, IT HITS THAT WARM AIR. IT WILL MELT AND THEN IT WILL FREEZE ON ANYTHING THAT’S FREEZING, LIKE THE ROADS, LIKE YOUR CAR, LIKE YOUR WINDSHIELD, LIKE YOUR FRONT PORCH. AND THEN THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN THAT WEDGE OF WARM AIR GETS NARROWER. SO WE STILL HAVE THIS SNOW MELTING, BUT THERE’S MORE SPACE BETWEEN WHERE IT MELTED AND WHEN IT HITS THE GROUND. SO IT HAS TIME TO REFREEZE. IT WILL NOT REFREEZE AS A SNOWFLAKE. IT WILL REFREEZE AS A SLEET PELLET. AND YOU’LL KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE YOU CAN HEAR IT. YOU CAN HEAR SLEET. IT’LL TING. AND IF YOU PUT YOUR HAND OUT, YOU’LL SEE LITTLE WHITE ICE PELLETS. WHEN IT’S FREEZING RAIN, IT JUST FEELS LIKE RAIN TO US UNTIL IT HITS THE GROUND. AND THEN IT GLAZES OVER. SO THERE WE HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRECIPITATION. AND THEN, THEN ONCE THAT WEDGE OF WARM AIR IS GONE AND WE’RE FREEZING FROM THE CLOUD TO THE GROUND, IT WILL BE ALL SNOW. AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH FORECASTING THIS WEEKEND. AND THERE’S PARTS OF OUR AREA THAT WILL STAY IN THE WARM SECTOR LONGER THAN OTHERS, LIKE DOWN TO THE SOUTH AND TO THE NORTH. YOU’LL BE IN THAT COLD AREA THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE EVENT. THIS IS NEW INFORMATION. I’M ABLE TO NOW USE A HIGH RES MODEL THAT WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE STORM. SO THIS IS GOING TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE MODELS YOU’VE SEEN UP UNTIL NOW. SO THIS IS SATURDAY BY 2:00. PINK INDICATES FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. WATCH AS IT INTENSIFIES FOR A FEW HOURS, AND THEN THERE’S A LULL. NOT A GUARANTEE, BUT THIS AT LEAST IS SHOWING THERE MAY BE A LULL IN THE ACTIVITY SATURDAY NIGHT. DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN BECAUSE OVERNIGHT SATURDAY IT PICKS UP IN INTENSITY. THIS IS HEAVY, FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET, MAINLY IN THE KANSAS CITY AREA. YOU COULD EVEN HEAR A RUMBLE OF THUNDER. THEN ON SUNDAY THAT TRANSITIONS OVER TO SNOW. LOOK AT THAT WIND COMING IN. SO MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW, 30 MILE AN HOUR. WIND GUSTS. THAT’S WHY I SAY NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. THE WINDS DON’T QUITE HIT THE CRITERIA FOR A BLIZZARD, BUT IT’S GOING TO BE CLOSE NOW BASED ON ALL OF THAT, IT LOOKS LIKE THE CITY, KANSAS CITY AND THE 435 LOOP IS GOING TO PICK UP ABOUT A 10TH OF AN INCH OF ICE, BUT TO THE SOUTH, A 10TH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE COATING POWER LINES, COATING TREE BRANCHES. AND THEN WE’LL ADD SNOW ON TOP OF THAT. SO THE WEIGHT OF THAT HEAVY SNOW AND ICE COULD CAUSE SOME POWER OUTAGES AND TREE DAMAGE. JUST LOOKING AT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS, WE’RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT ABOUT A HALF A FOOT OF SNOW IN KANSAS CITY, A LITTLE LESS TO THE NORTH. TO THE SOUTH, MORE TO THE NORTH. BUT THAT DEPENDS ON WHEN THAT TRANSITION FROM ICE TO SNOW OCCURS. AND THAT IS ONLY A SNOW TOTAL THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE, LIKE ALL THE POTENTIAL PRECIPITATION, WE HAVE THE ICE FIRST. AN
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning starting 6 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Monday.The warning includes all of Kansas City and many surrounding counties. Travel could be very difficult to impossible due to heavy freezing rain, sleet and snow.Winds may gust up to 35 mph leading to blizzard-like conditions.A winter storm watch will remain in effect for counties outside of the warning zone.Find more details on what’s expected in the Kansas City area below:Winter weather resources from KMBC:Kansas City winter weather guide: School closings, roads and snow removal policiesKansas City weather preparedness: Tips to gear up for winter stormKansas City weather: Warming centers around the Kansas City metro area
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning starting 6 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Monday.
The warning includes all of Kansas City and many surrounding counties.
Travel could be very difficult to impossible due to heavy freezing rain, sleet and snow.
Winds may gust up to 35 mph leading to blizzard-like conditions.
A winter storm watch will remain in effect for counties outside of the warning zone.
Find more details on what’s expected in the Kansas City area below:
Winter weather resources from KMBC:
