KDOT road crews are out treating area highways as a winter storm bears down on Lyon and surrounding counties, with Lyon County and Emporia crews set to head out at any time.
Travel conditions began deteriorating after sunset Tuesday as light rain changed to a sleet-snow mix in Emporia. Conditions are expected to deteriorate further early Wednesday morning as snowfall becomes moderate to heavy.
Before 10 pm, Kandrive.org showed several area highways west of Emporia as completely covered.
Snow totals could vary widely across the area, with the lightest totals north and west of Emporia. All told, area residents could see anywhere from 3-10 inches of snow, with Emporia’s current projections from 5-9 inches. Heavier totals are expected in southeast Kansas.
5:30 pm Tuesday: Winter storm warnings begin at 9 pm areawide; wintry mix could start event by early Tuesday evening
A significant winter storm is poised to bring moderate to occasionally heavy snow to the KVOE listening area.
The current forecast calls for a wintry mix of rain and snow to begin by early Tuesday evening before changing over to all snow by mid-evening. Moderate snow could fall from midnight to noon Wednesday, a bit earlier in the day than prior forecasts. Flurries and light snow could be in the picture from Wednesday evening through early Thursday.
The current forecast calls for 5-9 inches of snow, down on the top end from Monday evening’s high end of 11 inches but above Monday morning’s forecast of 4-8 inches.
Already, we have had several schedule adjustments announced. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
Local hardware stores have been busy as people come in for last-minute supplies. At Waters Hardware, manager Lucas Hockenbury says a lot of people are focusing on keeping warm.
Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply and Mark II Lumber are both reporting brisk sales of ice melt, ice scrapers and sand tubes, with Bluestem noting a lot of sleds being sold and Mark II selling a lot of shovels. Managers of all local hardware stores say they are well-supplied to get residents through the incoming winter storm.
Local utilities are doing what they can to keep the power on — and keep their crew members safe at the same time. Here’s Evergy spokesperson Gina Penzig:
We’ll keep you updated on KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media. Be sure to join KVOE’s social media channels on Facebook and Instagram, both @kvoenews, and Twitter@kvoeam1400. If you have a schedule adjustment to report, call KVOE at 620-342-1400 or email kvoe@kvoe.com.
5:15 am Tuesday: Winter storm warnings begin at 9 pm areawide; up to 8 inches of snowfall possible
Snow is likely for the entire KVOE listening area, possibly starting before midnight and continuing into Thursday morning.
The forecast amounts have been in flux ever since the National Weather Service gave its first official range early Monday, and the latest models are trending downward. Monday had a range of 6-11 inches for Emporia by early evening. That now sits at 4-8, and TV-13 meteorologist Doug Meyers says there is some variance in the individual model runs from early Tuesday.
A 6-inch snow total would be among Emporia’s higher snow totals in recent memory. The last time Emporia had an official 6-inch snowfall at the Municipal Airport was a 6.5-inch total on Feb. 5, 2014. The last time Emporia had at least 8 inches of snow was Feb. 9, 2011, when the airport recorded 12.6 inches.
Regardless, winter storm warnings are up areawide from 9 pm Tuesday to noon Thursday with the prospect of snowfall along with a light glaze of freezing precipitation before rain changes to snow. Snowfall should be heaviest from 3 am to 3 pm Wednesday before tapering off, but travel could well be problematic through the event with northerly winds as high as 30 mph. Biting cold is also expected, with wind chills at or below -10 both Wednesday night and Thursday night.
Already, we have had at least one schedule adjustment announced. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
