Most area school districts are canceling Tuesday classes in advance of moderate to heavy snow and poor travel conditions.
USD 253 Emporia, Emporia Christian School and Sacred Heart School announced closures and the cancellations of all activities Monday evening. Districts areawide are also on board with closing school and canceling classes, and there are numerous other adjustments reported as well. Click here for the full list on the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
Light snow resumed across much of the area shortly after sunset, but heavy snow is possible at times late Monday night through much of the pre-sunrise hours Tuesday. Much of the KVOE listening area, notably Lyon, Chase and Osage counties, could get anywhere from 3-6 inches with isolated higher amounts. Heavier totals, perhaps from 4-10 inches, are possible for Morris and Wabaunsee counties. Lighter totals in the 1-5 inch range are possible in Coffey and Greenwood counties.
Whiteout to near-whiteout conditions are expected as the powdery snow combines with wind gusts as high as 40-50 mph. Travel is not recommended through at least noon Tuesday, when the snow ends, and may not be recommended for the afternoon hours either.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency Monday evening, thus allowing for emergency resources and equipment to be “prepositioned” statewide. The governor is among numerous officials urging residents to avoid traveling Tuesday and to be prepared if travel is only absolutely necessary including a full tank of gas, fully-charged cell phone and an emergency kit involving:
*Blankets
*Flashlights
*Batteries
*A cell phone charger
*Hand warmers
*High-energy snacks
*Bottled water
*Medications
*A snow shovel
*Warning flares
The rapid changeover from rain to a slushy snow led to three reported injury crashes on the Kansas Turnpike near Emporia, two of which led to crash log reports by the Kansas Highway Patrol:
*Wichita resident Robin Michelle Harris, 59, was hurt in a crash 20 miles southwest of Emporia. Harris apparently lost control of her car due to wet and icy conditions. Her car rolled into a ditch. She was taken to Newman Regional Health with suspected serious injuries.
*Osage City resident Danielle Isch, 35, suffered possible injuries when she changed lanes to pass a semi but lost control of her SUV about 10 miles northeast of Emporia. She was not listed as transported.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. If you have schedule adjustments to report, call KVOE at 620-342-1400, email kvoe@kvoe.com or message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
4:15 pm Monday: Lyon, most surrounding counties now in winter storm warning as system track slides south; Tuesday travel highly discouraged
A change in the storm track has increased the risk of moderate to borderline heavy snow totals across Lyon and most surrounding counties. As a result, the National Weather Service has expanded a winter storm warning originally in place to our north.
Lyon and Osage counties are involved until noon Tuesday with a chance of 3-6 inches of snowfall, although there are some indications of totals approaching 8 inches in spots. West of Emporia, Chase County is in a warning until noon Tuesday with 4-7 inches of snow possible. Further north, Morris and Wabaunsee counties could receive anywhere from 4-10 inches of snow.
Coffey and Greenwood counties are in separate winter weather advisories until noon Tuesday. Up to 1-5 inches of snow is possible, with Coffey County set for slightly higher totals than Greenwood County.
Regardless of the snow totals, everybody areawide will have to contend with increasingly windy conditions from sunset Monday until after the snow ends Tuesday. Wind gusts could be 40-50 mph for significant parts of the overnight and morning period, meaning widespread whiteout driving conditions for considerable periods of time — in no small part due to the snow being more powdery than the slushy snow that fell Monday morning. Travel is highly discouraged from sunset Monday through at least noon Tuesday, if not all day.
Rain started the event around 3 am, leading to around 0.50 inches accumulation for KVOE and Allen. The rapid changeover from rain to brief heavy snowfall around 9 am Monday eventually caused Emporia State and Flint Hills Technical College to both dismiss school shortly after lunch Monday and to cancel school outright for Tuesday. Most area school districts also dismissed early for Monday, and a host of other schedule adjustments were reported as well. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
11 am Monday: Burst of heavy snow leads to rash of schedule adjustments, including early school dismissals
Moderate to heavy snowfall came to the KVOE listening area sooner than expected, and that’s caused a number of schedule adjustments.
Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
Travel conditions went from wet to slick in a hurry after 9 am, forcing Emporia, Lyon County and the Kansas Department of Transportation to send out road crews to treat paved roads. County Engineer Chip Woods says the focus now is treating roads, not clearing — yet.
Woods also reminds drivers to not crowd the plows as the snow continues to fall.
The snow follows a half an inch or more of rainfall for the early-morning hours. Kandrive.org had highways listed as wet until around 9 am. Most are now partly to completely snow-covered. At least three injury crashes were reported on the Kansas Turnpike near Emporia. Details are pending with all the wrecks.
Parts of the KVOE listening area now have heavier snow in their forecast than originally thought, so one area county is now in a winter storm warning as opposed to a winter weather advisory. Chase County is in a warning until noon Tuesday with up to 6 inches of snow and whiteout conditions expected as winds increase to 40 mph or higher Tuesday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for weather and travel updates through this event. If you have schedule adjustments — closings, cancellations, delays or postponements — to announce, call KVOE at 620-342-1400, email kvoe@kvoe.com or message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863. If you have snow totals to announce, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
6:20 am Monday: Rain, snow to affect area for much of Monday before rain ends, snow continues after sunset
A powerful winter storm is here through at least Tuesday morning.
All area counties are in winter weather advisories of varying lengths until noon Tuesday. The forecast calls for up to 4 inches of total snowfall, along with wind gusts as high as 35 mph Monday and 50 mph Tuesday. Snow totals could vary, depending on the amount of rain Monday morning and afternoon.
Travel is discouraged, not only for area counties but for much of Kansas, because of the prospect of blizzard or near-blizzard conditions for much of the storm. Here’s TV-13 meteorologist Doug Meyers:
If you absolutely have to travel, which is not recommended, Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell is urging people to be ready.
Several schedule adjustments have been noted. Click here for the KVOE.com Closings and Cancellations page.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for weather and travel updates through this event. If you have schedule adjustments — closings, cancellations, delays or postponements — to announce, call KVOE at 620-342-1400, email kvoe@kvoe.com or message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863. If you have snow totals to announce, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including YouTube Short weather and travel updates.
