The local area is still feeling the effects of the blizzard which blew through Lyon and surrounding counties throughout the day Sunday.
Snowfall began just after 9 a.m. Sunday morning and lasted into the early part of the evening affecting both travel and utilities across the KVOE listening area. This included closing multiple highways and roads such as Interstate 35 between Emporia and Beto Junction, The Kansas Turnpike Southbound and Highway 50 westbound.
Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods says crews were having issues with treating roads as the constant snow, coupled with temperatures in the mid to lower 30’s caused many areas to require multiple treatments throughout the day. Woods says one of his biggest concerns was the safety for school buses if area schools decided not to close Monday.
There were also several accidents on the major roadways throughout the day which contributed to traffic flow being interrupted or stopped entirely. Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope believes Holiday travel played a major factor in the number of vehicles on the roadway, despite multiple advisories throughout the week cautioning motorists to avoid traveling.
School cancelations began coming in around 4:30 Sunday afternoon. Area schools which have closed for Monday include:
*Emporia State University closed Monday.
*Flint Hills Technical College closed Monday.
*Allen County Community College Burlingame campus closed Monday.
*USD 253 Emporia closed Monday.
*USD 251 North Lyon County closed Monday.
*USD 252 Southern Lyon County closed Monday.
*USD 243 Lebo-Waverly closed Monday.
*USD 244 Burlington closed Monday.
*USD 245 Southern Coffey County closed Monday.
*USD 284 Chase County closed Monday.
*USD 386 Madison-Virgil closed Monday.
*USD 390 Hamilton closed Monday.
*USD 417 Morris County closed Monday.
*USD 434 Santa Fe Trail closed Monday.
*USD 454 Burlingame closed Monday.
*USD 456 Marais des Cygnes Valley closed Monday.
*Emporia Christian School closed Monday
*Sacred Heart School closed Monday
*Osage City Preschool closed Monday.
Click here for a full list of closings, cancellations and other schedule adjustments.
Roads and bridges were not the only areas affected, as several power outages were reported throughout the area including one outage in Emporia which affected over 500 Westar customers shortly before 10 am Sunday morning after a utility pole came down. Power was fully restored in that area just before noon. Separately, a second mass power outage developed in the early afternoon which affected over 1,000 Westar customers in Greenwood, Woodson and Wilson counties. Westar crews had power fully restored just before 5 p.m.
During the blizzard, Gov. Jeff Colyer issued a state of disaster emergency declaration statewide. The declaration authorized the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery in affected counties during the blizzard. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management also activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka to a partial level to monitor the weather and coordinate any state emergency response operations that may have been requested.
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Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
{gallery}Blizzard Nov 25 2018{/gallery}
5:30 pm Sunday: Sunday blizzard forces school, other cancellations
Several area schools have announced they will be closed Monday due to the blizzard which affected most of the KVOE listening area. Click here for the list of schedule adjustments, including school closures.
Separately several area roads and highways have reopened after closing down due to multiple car accidents throughout the day. The section of I-35 between Emporia and Beto Junction, as well as Highway 50 in Emporia. Southbound traffic on the Kansas Turnpike has also been reopened.
Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods says Road and Bridge crews are currently out treating roads, which has become easier now that the snow has subsided in most areas.
Roads and highways were not the only things affected by the blizzard as several power outages developed across the area including one which affected over 1,000 Westar customers in Greenwood, Woodson and Wilson counties. Power was fully restored just before 5 p.m.
Separately Wabaunsee County has two stranded traveler centers set up one located at Maple Hill Senior Center and the second at McFarland Trinity Lutheran.
Several crashes were reported throughout the day. Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope says a major contributing factor to this was the limited to non-existent visibility on the roadways.
Gov. Jeff Colyer also issued a State of Disaster Emergency declaration for the state in response to the storm which blew across Kansas. The declaration authorized the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties.
L-CAT will be running busses at 9 a.m. Monday if County services do not shutdown.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates. Connect with KVOE’s Twitter and Facebook pages for instant updates as they happen.
2:30-5 Sunday Nov. 25
Deteriorating road conditions continue to impact travel across the KVOE listening area.
Just before 1:30 this afternoon authorities closed down Interstate 35 between Emporia and Beto Junction after multiple injury crashes were reported from the early morning throughout the afternoon. Traffic on Industrial Road on the I-35 bridge has also been slowed to a hault.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority has also announced they are closing a portion of the turnpike between mile markers 126-110. KDOT Crews are currently out attempting to treat county roads.
The Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office is reporting an injury crash which occurred on U.S. Highway 400 just 20 miles west of Severy. Traffic was also reduced to one lane earlier this afternoon on Highway 50 at mile marker 332 5 miles past the Chase County Line. due to an accident involving a semi. Traffic flow has been restored back to normal.
Blizzard warnings are still in effect for Lyon and all surrounding counties except Greenwood until 6 p.m. this evening. Greenwood County is in a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m.
Weather issues were not limited to travel or visibility as over 500 Westar Energy customers lost power when a utility pole partially came down shortly before 10 am. Power was restored to that area just after noon. Less than 20 Westar customers were impacted by a pair of outages in Americus.
Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches are predicted for areas north of a line from Emporia to Lawrence. Lower amounts of 2-6 inches are expected to the south of that line.
Lyon County Emergency Management Coordinator Jarrod Fell says drivers will need to consider what to do if they do encounter whiteout conditions.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management wishes to remind residents they may receive information on road conditions by dialing 5-1-1 anywhere in Kansas. Individuals outside of Kansas who may be traveling back from Holiday trips may call the Kansas Department of Transportation at 1-866-511-5368 or visit Kandrive.org.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates. Connect with KVOE’s Twitter and Facebook pages for instant updates as they happen. Click here for schedule adjustments.
10:30-1:30 Sunday: Blizzard settles in
Zero visibility has been reported across Lyon, Chase and Morris counties. Law enforcement agencies are telling people to stay home and avoid travel until the storm clears.
TV-13 weathercaster Peyton Sanders:
Several crashes have been reported, an injury accident took place just before 10 am in the 1000 block of Road 80 near Olpe. One vehicle was involved, but Deputy Zach Shafer says nobody was hospitalized afterward. Further details are pending.
Elsewhere, southbound traffic on the Kansas Turnpike was blocked shortly after 10 am at mile marker 106, 21 miles southwest of Emporia. More details will be announced later.
Separately another injury accidents have also been reported at turnpike Mile Marker 105, 20 miles southwest of Emporia. Shortly after that, an accident was also reported on I-35 at mile marker 135 and an injury accident at I-35 Mile Marker 134 northbound just before 1:15. We will have more details on those accidents as they become available.
Weather issues are not limited to travel or visibility. Over 500 Westar Energy customers lost power when a utility pole partially came down shortly before 10 am. Power was restored to that area just after noon. Less than 20 Westar customers were impacted by a pair of outages in Americus.
Blizzard warnings continue for Lyon and all surrounding counties except Greenwood County until 6 pm. Greenwood County is in a winter weather advisory until 6 pm.
Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches are predicted for areas north of a line from Emporia to Lawrence. Lower amounts of 2-6 inches are expected to the south of that line.
Lyon County Emergency Management Coordinator Jarrod Fell says drivers will need to consider what to do if they do encounter whiteout conditions.
Emergency Management is advising traffic on I-35 to utilize exit 138, 5 miles east of Emporia, to avoid any accidents on the roadway.
City, County and KDOT crewas are currently out treating roads, again law enforcement strongly discourages travel throughout the day.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management wishes to remind residents they may receive information on road conditions by dialing 5-1-1 anywhere in Kansas. Individuals outside of Kansas who may be traveling back from Holiday trips may call the Kansas Department of Transportation at 1-866-511-5368 or visit Kandrive.org.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates. Connect with KVOE’s Twitter and Facebook pages for instant updates as they happen
3 am Sunday: Blizzard warnings expanded
A blizzard is coming to the KVOE listening area Sunday.
Early Sunday, the National Weather Service expanded a standing blizzard warning affecting Morris and Wabaunsee counties to include Lyon and Osage counties. Warning times are as follows:
*Lyon, Osage, Wabaunsee: 9 am-6 pm
*Morris: 6 am-6 pm
Chase and Coffey counties are in separate winter weather advisories Sunday. The Chase County advisory runs from 6 am-3 pm, while the Coffey County advisory lasts from 9 am-6 pm.
Winds as high as 50 mph will still be all but guaranteed as a powerful storm system crosses Kansas and other neighboring states, including Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska through the day. However, models early Sunday added a lot more snow than had been commonplace in prior forecasts. The National Weather Service now expects a line of 6-12 inches north of a line from Emporia to Lawrence after expecting 2-5 inches of snow as late as Saturday night. South of that Emporia-Lawrence axis, 2-4 inches could be likely after a trace to 2 inches was expected.
The new forecast increases the likelihood of whiteout conditions for drivers. It also increases the likelihood that highways and county roads will drift shut soon after they are plowed. Travel is discouraged until conditions improve late Sunday night or Monday morning.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. Click here for current schedule adjustments.
Midnight Sunday: Blizzard, near-blizzard conditions likely
City, county and KDOT crews are gearing up for a rather unique winter storm impacting Kansas and several neighboring states Sunday.
Little snow is expected across most of the KVOE listening area — 2 inches or less — but the combination of light snow and winds as high as 50 mph could well cause blizzard or near-blizzard conditions for much of the day. With the wind and light snow expected, Emporia Street Supervisor Mike Dvorak is not anticipating a lot of blading, although he says his crews are ready to do that and to treat intersections if they get slick.
Assistant County Engineer Jim Brull, meanwhile, says the amount of snowfall could spell the difference between a lot of plowing and not much at all. Two inches or less, and the wind may blow snow off roads. Any more than that, though, and roads may drift shut quickly. With crews facing the same whiteout conditions as everybody else, he says the Highway Department will do what it can to make sure drivers are safe.
Lyon, Coffey and Osage counties are in a winter weather advisory from 9 am to 6 pm. Chase County is in an advisory from 6 am to 3 pm. Morris and Wabaunsee counties are in a blizzard warning from 6 am to 6 pm.
It has been several years since the KVOE listening area has dealt with the potential for extended whiteout conditions. Lyon County Emergency Management Coordinator Jarrod Fell is cautioning people to be prepared.
Travel is discouraged by both the National Weather Service and Kansas Division of Emergency Management. However, if you must travel, you are reminded to have a full tank of gas, ensure your cell phone is fully charged and have a vehicle emergency kit including blankets, flashlights, batteries, a cell phone charger, hand warmers, high energy food snacks, bottled water, necessary medications, a snow shovel, flares and other emergency supplies. If you get into a whiteout situation, Fell says you should pull completely off a highway, possibly at a county road or a highway exit, so you’re as safe as possible as other travelers continue on their way.
In addition, Fell says people staying at home should also be prepared in case of a wind-related power outage.
Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for updates, and be sure to connect to KVOE’s Twitter and Facebook for instant weather and travel information wherever you may be. Also, if you have a schedule adjustment to report, whether it’s a closing, cancellation, postponement or delay, call KVOE at 342-1400 or email kvoe@kvoe.com.
Information links
Travel: www.kandrive.org
Winter driving tips: http://www.
Emergency kit: www.ready.gov
Pet safety: http://avma.org
