Driving conditions are improving thanks to sunshine and road treatment following light snowfall Wednesday night and Thursday, however, travelers are being advised to not let their guards down while on the roadways.
Snowfall brought accumulations between 1-3 inches across the local area between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning including two inches at the KVOE studios. Additional area totals:
*Northwest Emporia: 2.5 inches
*Southeast Emporia: 2.1 inches
*Cottonwood Falls: 2.5 inches
*Council Grove: 1.5 inches
*Gridley: 2 inches
City and county road crews were busy throughout the day clearing paths and making sure local road systems were safe for vehicles to travel on. Sunshine and treatment efforts did a lot to reduce slickness on major arterial roadways within Emporia with the majority of county roads being made passable as well.
Major residential and collector streets are still snow-covered and slick with most primary highways — Kansas Highway 99, Interstate 35 and US Highway 50 — experiencing seasonal driving conditions and occasional slick spots. While travel is a bit less hectic than in the morning hours, residents are still urged to take their time when traveling whether in town or on highways especially once the sun goes down.
With overnight lows expected to be in the single digits and wind chill values as low as -1 forecasted, Public Works Director Dean Grant says refreezing of street surfaces is a certainty between sundown Thursday and mid-morning Friday.
Grant says its best that residents avoid travel if possible once the sun goes down.
Grant says city crews will be in contact with Emporia Police and will be ready to mobilize and spot treat as needed in the overnight and morning hours.
Several schedule adjustments were reported due to the inclimate weather Thursday. Be sure to visit the KVOE closings and cancellations page for the latest schedule adjustments on KVOE.com.
If you have schedule adjustments to report, whether they are closings, cancellations, postponements or delays, call KVOE at 620-342-1400. You can also:
*Email kvoe@kvoe.com.
*Message Twitter@kvoeam1400 or Facebook@kvoenews.
*Message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
Be sure to stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. If you haven’t already done so, join KVOE on Facebook and Instagram — both @kvoenews — and Twitter@kvoeam1400. Also, be sure to download KVOE’s free mobile app so you can get our winter weather coverage wherever you may be.
