Biting cold will be sticking around for the first half of the work week before we get a short break in the bitter temperatures.
Subzero temperatures and windchills have been the norm locally since the cold snap moved into the area on the heels of the latest winter storm this past Thursday. Those temperatures will remain in place Monday and Tuesday with wind chill warnings in place across the area through noon Tuesday.
Once those advisories expire, conditions will warm up, however, National Weather Service Meteorologist Bill Gargan says it won’t feel as if they have right away.
Milder temperatures won’t stick around for too long as another blast of arctic cold is expected to hit the area late Thursday and bring with it another round of subzero chills ranging low teens Friday and Saturday. Gargan says the good news is, the second round of cold air won’t be sticking around quite as long as the ongoing cold snap.
While it will still be brutally cold the next several days, county road conditions are finally seeing some gradual improvement thanks in large part to the work of county road crews. Crews have been working almost around the clock since this past Tuesday after the first round of accumulating snowfall in the area and have run into several challenges, namely blowing drifting snow.
Seth Snyder of the Lyon County Highway Department says milder wind gusts allowed crews to make some major headway in their clearing efforts Sunday.
Snyder adds crews are running into another issue, the impact of freezing temperatures on their equipment fuel.
Snyder says some workers have been putting in more than 15 hours in recent days and they will be going out again Monday to continue treatment and clearing. Snyder says they may begin work a bit later than normal and try to wrap up earlier to give their workers more time to rest.
Be sure to stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more weather updates as they develop.
1 pm Sunday: WEATHER: Light snowfall a possibility Sunday with end to wind chill warnings nearing by early next week
An end to the area’s recent cold snap is in sight, however, residents will still need to bundle up over the next several days.
There are chances of light snowfall Sunday afternoon into Monday morning, however, the National Weather Service in Topeka says any snowfall that comes will not be very heavy and would lead to only trace amounts of accumulation, if any. Additionally, lighter winds, ranging between 10-15 mph with some occasional gusts as high as 20 mph, will make for much smoother driving conditions for local motorists after visibility and traction were both major concerns late last week.
On top of that, Current forecasts have the wind chill warnings and advisories, in place since the middle of last week, still set to come to an end by noon Tuesday. Despite the warnings set to expire at that time, NWS meteorologist Chelsea Picha says residents should not
Temperatures are expected to reach above freezing by midweek and continue into Friday where we could see another blast of cold air with overnight lows around -5. Pincha says the good news with this second round of air is that it will be significantly shorter than the current round we are dealing with.
Along with residents, local road crews will welcome the break in freezing temperatures and gusty winds which have made road clearing efforts, namely outside of the Emporia city limits, difficult at times throughout the past week. Following snowfall earlier in the week, crews had trouble keeping roadways clear as the combination of wind gusts led to county roads and highways drifting shut.
The conditions led to authorities advising residents to stay home if at all possible and avoid traveling for any reason. It appears local motorists heeded those requests as the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center reported only 10 motorist assists and no major accidents between 8 am Saturday and noon Sunday.
A handful of fender benders and minor accidents were reported, however, they were mostly isolated to parking lots.
Be sure to stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more weather updates as they develop.
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. To find us on social media, look for Facebook@kvoenews, Instagram@kvoenews, YouTube@kvoenews or X@kvoeam1400.
8 pm Saturday:
The winter blast underway since Friday continues for another few days.
Air temperatures may struggle to get back to zero Sunday afternoon after Saturday night lows around -10. Wind chills at -30 are possible Sunday.
This is approaching the coldest air on record for Emporia, at least based on a revised wind chill formula dating back to the 2001-02 winter. The National Weather Service says it does not keep records for apparent temperatures, wind chill or heat index included, but there was a -33 wind chill at 5 am on Feb. 15, 2021, as part of Winter Storm Uri.
Travel conditions have been bad outside the Emporia city limits, especially since Friday morning as a combination of persistent light snow and wind gusts approaching 50 mph at times kept county roads and highways constantly drifting shut. Crews had already logged long hours due to a winter storm that dropped 6-10 inches of snowfall Monday. Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods says crews started their workdays at 5 am both Friday and Saturday, and he expects early starts Sunday and Monday with up to 2 inches of a powdery snow combining with winds as high as 30 mph Saturday and 20 mph Sunday causing more drifting issues into early next week.
Despite the conditions, ag producers and livestock have to be out in the elements. On KVOE’s Talk of Emporia on Friday, Lyon County Extension ag agent Brian Rees urged producers to dress warmly in layers and to cover as much skin as possible.
For livestock, Rees said windbreaks and extra energy in their rations will help.
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. To find us on social media, look for Facebook@kvoenews, Instagram@kvoenews, YouTube@kvoenews or X@kvoeam1400.
6 am Saturday: Wind chills now forecast to reach as low as -40 at times
The phrase “it’s not fit for man or beast” definitely applies for the next few days.
Wind chill warnings are up areawide, statewide and across parts or all of nearly 15 states Saturday morning. For the KVOE listening area, the warnings go to noon Tuesday with the risk of wind chills pushing as low as -40 at times, which would be 10 degrees colder than prior forecasts.
National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Omitt says people need to stay home if at all possible.
County road crews have been busy across the listening area the past few days with snow drifts requiring constant treatment on a number of roadways. Lyon County Deputy Doug Stump tells KVOE News travel conditions improved slightly from Friday, but there are still travel issues.
Morris County has declared a snow emergency due to the combination of “extreme” below-freezing temperatures, high winds and drifting snow.
Earlier in the week, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a disaster declaration for the state. On Friday, she said that announcement lifts certain hours of service regulations on commercial motor vehicles on a short-term basis — if drivers are providing direct assistance. Things return to normal within 14 days of the date of the disaster declaration or when the emergency ends, whichever is sooner.
