We’ve been telling you about the incoming brutally cold air for close to a week now. It’s here and it doesn’t let up until Tuesday night.
Weather alerts are legion across the KVOE listening area to start the weekend:
*A wind chill advisory is up for Lyon and most surrounding counties until noon. The exceptions, Chase and Greenwood counties, are in an advisory until midnight. Lyon and most surrounding counties then go into another advisory at 6 pm Saturday that doesn’t end until 12am Monday. Wind chill watches then take over Monday through noon Tuesday areawide.
*Winter weather advisories are also posted for the prospect of 2-4 inches of snow. Advisories areawide start at 12am Sunday, with Lyon and most surrounding counties in the advisory until 12 am Monday and the exceptions, Chase and Greenwood counties, in a separate advisory until 6am Monday
High temperatures will be in the mid- and upper single digits both Saturday and Saturday with wind chills below both days. Overnight lows Saturday night of around zero will give way to an overnight low approaching -10 Sunday night and almost -15 Monday night.
Kansas AAA’s Roadside Assistance program has already been taxed by the demand over the past week. Spokesman Shawn Steward with details:
Steward says weekend conditions like the snowfall expected Sunday into Monday will likely add vehicle extractions to the call list with the potential for highway slideoff crashes.
Steward urges people to stay home if they can, but if they can’t — or they won’t — he urges travelers to have a special winter safety kit in their vehicles. Recommended items include hats, winter clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, snacks, a small snow shovel, traction materials like sand or kitty litter, jumper cables and a cell phone charger.
Steward says batteries especially need a good checkup. The average battery lasts 3-5 years and older batteries may not do the job in these conditions — especially because batteries lose about 60 percent of their strength when temperatures are at zero. At the same time, engines need about 20 percent more power to start when it’s that cold.
Already, several schedule adjustments are in place. Some of them are short-term, while others are longer-term in nature. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
Be sure to stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates as this bitter cold weather continues.
