Parts of the KVOE listening area have been cleared from winter weather advisories, while another area county has seen its alert downgraded as the current winter storm moves to the east.
Lyon, Chase and Morris counties have been removed from winter weather advisories after those alerts were originally set to end at 6 pm. Wabaunsee County, meanwhile, is now in a winter weather advisory until 6 pm after spending much of Thursday in a winter storm warning.
Osage County is in a winter weather advisory until 6 pm. Coffey County remains in a winter weather advisory until 6 am Friday. Greenwood County is tentatively set to be in a winter weather advisory from 6 pm Thursday to noon Friday.
The change in advisory status for several area counties follows light to borderline moderate snowfall. The KVOE studios had 3.5 inches of snow, while Bushong got 4 inches and Cottonwood Falls and Council Grove both got 3 inches, based off mid-morning reports. Travel conditions were poor during the morning drive but rapidly improved in Emporia, with all classes of streets — major arterials, residential collectors and side streets — clear as of mid-afternoon. More light snow is possible Thursday night into Friday morning, but little to no accumulation is expected.
Several schedule adjustments are in place. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
12:30 pm Thursday: Emporia’s travel conditions noticeably improved after slick morning drive
Light snowfall continues, off and on across the KVOE listening area, but conditions improved after the morning commute.
Snow started falling in Emporia before 3 am, and about 3.5 inches had accumulated by 10:30 am. Other area totals:
*Bushong was at 4 inches as of 8 am.
*Cottonwood Falls was at 3 inches around 9 am.
*Council Grove was at 3 inches as of 10 am.
Lyon County road crews went out by 3 am, while Emporia city crews started treating and blading around 7 am. Travel conditions were poor during the morning drive, and Lyon County Undersheriff John Koelsch used the term “traffic polish” to describe the icy driving conditions.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates.
8 am Thursday: Travel conditions poor with light, fluffy snowfall leading to snowpacked and icy roads
Driving is not recommended Thursday morning with a light, fluffy snowfall underway.
The snow has caused widespread snowpacked and icy conditions. Lyon County Emergency Communications has reported several slideoff crashes despite the work of road crews, who have been out before sunrise treating and clearing roads. Undersheriff John Koelsch says travel is poor countywide.
Nearly 10 area districts either canceled classes outright, canceled school activities like parent-teacher conferences or delayed operations Thursday. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
With travel and schedule impacts underway, stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE’s social media channels — Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — for updates. If you need to report a schedule adjustment, call KVOE at 620-342-1400 or email kvoe@kvoe.com. Track highway conditions at www.kandrive.org.
Midnight Thursday: Numerous area school districts cancel class as winter storm warning, winter weather advisories continue
Many area school districts have canceled classes ahead of an incoming winter storm, and a handful of other schedule adjustments have been announced as well.
Nearly 10 area districts either canceled classes outright or canceled school activities like parent-teacher conferences. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
A winter storm warning continues for Wabaunsee County until 6 pm. Winter weather advisories are up for Lyon, Chase and Morris counties until 6 pm and for Osage County until 12 am Friday. Coffey County’s winter weather advisory now extends to 6 am Friday.
Light snow could overspread the area Thursday morning and continue through at least early afternoon, with another round of snowfall possible Thursday night. Between 2-5 inches of snowfall are still possible for Lyon, Chase, Coffey and Morris counties, with Wabaunsee and Osage counties possibly getting 5-7 inches.
Roads will be slick, visibility will be poor and drifting is at least possible with northeast winds as high as 25 mph. County crews have been out since 4 am treating and blading paved county roads, while city crews have been out since around 7 am, but roads are snowpacked and slick. Numerous slideoffs and fender-bender crashes have been reported across Lyon County.
