Kansas and Missouri are set to begin the New Year with a winter storm bringing ice and up to a foot of snow.
Across the Kansas City 12-country region, the storm will bring a sheet of ice with a topping of snow in the south to 8-10 inches of snow in the far northern counties. The storm is expected to cover most of Kansas and the northern and western two-thirds of Missouri. Residents of both states have been warned to prepare for “widespread hazardous travel conditions,” the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) of the National Weather Service (NWS) warned Friday.
A “significant winter storm” is expected to develop over the southern Plains region on Friday before heading to the Great Lakes on January 1, with some areas to see severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, heavy snow, ice and bitter cold conditions, the NWS said.
The snow and ice are expected to cause “widespread travel disruptions” over the holiday weekend. Accumulations may be higher in areas where snowfall rates reach one inch per hour, the WPC warned.
A winter storm is expected to aim on the central Plains to Great Lakes this holiday weekend. Plan accordingly if you have travel plans as heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain are likely to cause travel disruptions and hazardous conditions. Below are the latest Key Messages. pic.twitter.com/L7WInIgPrk
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) December 31, 2021
Significant mixed precipitation (including freezing rain and sleet) is also possible just south of the areas with heavier snow, with some ice accumulations to reach over 0.10 inch, according to the WPC.
As the storm heads out of the area it will bring heavy rain may also cause flash flooding across the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys, the national weather service said.
Already, Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories have been issued in portions of the Western U.S. where the storm is forming, including in pockets of northern California, Oregon, Washington state, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico.
By Saturday, one to two feet of snow are expected in the Cascades, Sawtooth and Wasatch mountain ranges as well as central and southern Rockies, with totals climbing above three feet in the highest elevations of Utah and Colorado, the WPC said Friday.
Sub-zero temperatures may arrive in Kansas, Missouri and other states overnight Saturday into Sunday morning with the low in Kansas City forecast for 0. Wind Chill Warnings and Advisories are expected to be put into place for the region with wind chills reaching -15 on Sunday.
For those heading to the Gulf, you’re in for a treat. Several record high temperatures are forecast from the Gulf Coast to the northern Mid-Atlantic region through the morning of New Year’s Day, according to the WPC.
–Metro Voice and wire services
