Light snow is over, but gusty winds have already hampered travel conditions and that will likely continue for the rest of the day.
Snow totals have been under 3 inches across the area:
*KVOE studios: 2 inches
*Northwest Emporia: 2.5 inches
*Southeast Emporia: 2.1 inches
*Cottonwood Falls: 2.5 inches
*Council Grove: 1.5 inches
*Gridley: 2 inches
Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods says the stiff northerly wind gusts are causing crew members to keep plowing, even with 2 inches of snow or less on the ground.
Road conditions and subzero wind chills prompted most area districts to delay school Thursday, and three — USD 251 North Lyon County, USD 284 Chase County and USD 434 Santa Fe Trail — eventually closed.
In Emporia, major arterials and more well-traveled residential collector streets have been plowed. Residential streets, intersections and overpasses will be slick. Major highways across the area are completely snow-covered with the exception of the Kansas Turnpike, which is listed as seasonal — or isolated to scattered snow cover.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates on snow, cold and travel conditions Thursday. Join KVOE’s social media channels on facebook@kvoenews, Instagram@kvoenews and Twitter@kvoeam1400 if you haven’t already done so. If you need to announce a schedule adjustment, call KVOE at 620-342-1400 or email kvoe@kvoe.com.
6 am Thursday: Several school districts delay school with combination of bitter cold, blowing light snow
Slow down and bundle up.
That’s the advice of law enforcement, road crews and meteorologists with our current winter storm bringing light snow and biting cold to the region. Some area school districts have made adjustments due to the conditions. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods says the stiff northerly wind gusts are causing crew members to keep plowing, even with 2 inches of snow or less on the ground. He’s asking drivers to be courteous and patient Thursday morning.
In Emporia, major arterials and more well-traveled residential collector streets have been plowed. Residential streets, intersections and overpasses will be slick. Major highways across the area are completely snow-covered with the exception of the Kansas Turnpike, which is listed as seasonal — or isolated to scattered snow cover. Slide-off crashes started happening in Lyon County before 5 am. No injuries have been reported to this point.
Winter weather advisories continue until 7 am for Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties, with Chase and Greenwood counties in a separate winter weather advisory until 8 am. Wind chill advisories continue for Chase County until 11 am and for Morris and Wabaunsee counties until noon with wind chills approaching -10 earlier in Emporia and lower elsewhere to the north and west. Flurries could continue through the morning, but snow totals should be near their current marks of up to 2 inches areawide. Blowing and drifting could continue all day and daytime wind chills could be near zero all day.
3-9 pm Wednesday: Winter weather advisories now cover all area counties starting at 8 pm Wednesday
Wintry weather is expected across the entire KVOE listening area starting Wednesday night, and the National Weather Service has added a winter weather advisory for Lyon County and several surrounding counties.
The new advisory affects Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties from 8 pm Wednesday to 7 am Thursday. The Weather Service expects 1-2 inches of snowfall, leading to slick road conditions.
This partners with a winter weather advisory for Chase and Greenwood counties from 8 pm Wednesday to 8 am Thursday. Besides 1-2 inches of snow, the Weather Service expects overnight wind gusts as high as 35 mph, causing blowing snow and poor visibility along with slippery driving.
The combination of gusty north winds and overnight lows in the single digits have led to a wind chill advisory for Chase County from midnight to 11 am Thursday and a separate advisory for Morris and Wabaunsee counties from midnight to noon. Wind chills could approach -10 for Lyon, Coffey, Greenwood and Osage counties, but they could go to -10 to -20 for the counties in the wind chill advisories.
One area school district is making a schedule adjustment based on the weather forecast. USD 243 Lebo-Waverly will start classes two hours late. Lebo’s daycare will open at 10 am and there will be no morning preschool at either Lebo or Waverly. Other school districts areawide plan to make their determinations early Thursday.
6:30 am Wednesday: Wind chill advisories now affect Chase, Morris Wabaunsee counties; Chase County in winter weather advisory
Light snow and bitter cold are set to cover the area for the second time in a week.
The National Weather Service has a winter weather advisory affecting Chase County from 8 pm Wednesday to 8 am Thursday. Up to 2 inches of snow is expected to combine with winds as high as 35 mph to cause poor visibility and slick driving conditions.
Chase County is also in a wind chill advisory from midnight to 11 am Thursday, while Morris and Wabaunsee counties are in a separate advisory from midnight to noon Thursday. Wind chills could be in the -10 to -20 range during the alert periods.
Areawide, including Emporia, the forecast calls for 1-2 inches of snow north of a Matfield Green to Virgil line and up to an inch south of that line. Wind chills for Lyon, Coffey, Greenwood and Osage counties could approach -10 early Thursday.
This follows Saturday’s wintry mix of snow and ice that led to less than an inch of total accumulation Saturday along with wind chills under -10 early Sunday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates on snow, cold and travel conditions Thursday. Join KVOE’s social media channels on facebook@kvoenews, Instagram@kvoenews and Twitter@kvoeam1400 if you haven’t already done so. If you need to announce a schedule adjustment, call KVOE at 620-342-1400 or email kvoe@kvoe.com.
