While arctic air was supposed to be the only wintry concern for the next few days, Mother Nature had other plans Monday.
Accumulating snowfall began in the listening area Monday afternoon and dropped well over an inch of snow in portions of the area in just over an hour. At the KVOE studios, we have received two inches of snowfall. If you have snow totals to report, please message them to the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch Text Line at 620-342-5863 or email KVOE@KVOE.com.
After being cleared for much of the weekend into Monday, the recent round of snowfall has led to some travel issues within Emporia according to Public Works Director Dean Grant who says there are now some isolated slick spots. Crews began treating roadways in the early afternoon hours and Grant says further treatment in the overnight hours will be entirely dependent on how the roads respond to the afternoon efforts.
On a bright note, Grant says the impact of recent snowfall will not be quite as severe as it could have been if roadways were still snow and ice-covered following a pair of snow events this past week.
On top of the recent snowfall, air temperatures remain brutally cold, and likely will through at least noon Tuesday. The frigid air has made the workload significantly larger for many departments and businesses over the past several days.
Chief amongst the list have been local road crews that have been out in many cases from sun up to sun down trying to make sure roads are safe and passable. Seth Snyder of the Lyon County Highway Department reports the department made some headway with clearing efforts Sunday, however, the recent snowfall Monday did lead to some setbacks.
Snyder adds crews have also been experiencing issues with equipment, namely their fuel.
Local heating experts have also been putting in long hours according to Modern Air owner Travis Sullivan who says their employees put in upwards of 13 to 18 hours a day over the past weekend. On Monday alone, Sullivan says they had around 80 calls by 8 am.
With a lengthy waiting list, Sullivan offered some helpful tips to keep your home warm and your equipment functioning. Firstly, Sullivan says it is best to keep your heater running around the clock at a reasonable temperature, between 68 to 70 degrees, and avoid turning it on and off.
On a positive note, city infrastructure, namely its water and plumbing systems, appear to be handling the biting cold well according to City Manager Trey Cocking on a recent installment of KVOE’s Q&A With Trey Monday.
Cocking adds there have been no impacts to major city projects, namely the annual street rehabilitation effort, however, this is the time of year when city streets see the most damage due to the freezing and unfreezing cycle. If residents notice any issues developing with city streets, namely cracks or potholes developing, Cocking asks them to call the city’s main line 620-343-4259 and report them as soon as possible.
At least two area businesses had major impacts from our current stretch of cold weather.
On Sunday, Bruffs Sports Bar and Grill had to close early after at least one water pipe broke. The restaurant is open Monday.
On Saturday, the Dollar General in Cottonwood Falls had to shut down early for a different reason. Store manager Shelly Robinson has posted on social media the store does not have any heat. Initially, the issue was reported as a possible gas leak, although Sheriff Jacob Welsh says the issues could be with the store’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. There is no word on when the store will reopen.
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.
2:15 pm Monday: WEATHER: More than an inch of accumulation already recorded with most recent round of snowfall Monday
Moderate to heavy snowfall has returned to the KVOE listening area Monday.
Snowfall began just before noon and so far has led to 1.4 inches of accumulation at the KVOE studios. If you have snow totals to report, please message them to the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch Text Line at 620-342-5863 or email KVOE@KVOE.com.
With the heavy dusting of snow across the area, motorists are advised to slow down and take their time due to the potential for limited visibility. Also, some roads are still experiencing occasional slick spots due to two rounds of accumulating snowfalls last week coupled with single digit air temperatures and subzero windchills.
We are expected to receive a short break from those conditions by noon Tuesday once ongoing wind chill warnings expire. A second round of arctic air is then expected by Thursday evening and could remain in place through the weekend before air temperatures are set to warm up considerably with highs in the 40s by next week.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more weather updates as they develop.
8 am Monday: WEATHER: Worst of brutal cold ending soon, but more cold air on the way
The worst of our frigid cold is nearing the end, but it will still be a cold week.
Air temperatures reached 7 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday, but wind chills were -10 to -31 all weekend, just missing Emporia’s coldest-ever wind chill on record, based on the current mathematical formula. The wind chill hit -33 back in February 2021.
Monday will see a peak air temperature of 5 with wind chills at -10 to -20 all day. Overnight wind chills could go to -25 with an actual low of -8.
Wind chill warnings end at noon Tuesday areawide and high temperatures climb to freezing on Wednesday, but National Weather Service meteorologist Chelsea Picha says wind chills will still be an issue.
Temperatures slide again Thursday into the 20s with an overnight low of 1 and wind chills below zero. Friday and Saturday will see air temperatures in the low teens with wind chills likely below zero again.
The cold weather meant a fair amount of motorist assistance calls for local authorities this weekend — 13 Friday, 10 Saturday and two Sunday. The cold, high winds and periods of light snow starting Friday has meant a lot of time on the road for county and KDOT grader operators. Seth Snyder of the Lyon County Highway Department says crews have made progress, but it’s slow going.
Snyder says there have been several equipment-based issues, notably with gelling fuel and the need to change out filters faster than normal. Crews also worked extended hours all week through the weekend — 5 am to 5 pm in most cases, although crews have been out as late as 10 pm in some cases.
At least two area businesses had major impacts from our current stretch of cold weather.
On Sunday, Bruffs Sports Bar and Grill had to close early after at least one water pipe broke. The restaurant will be open Monday.
On Saturday, the Dollar General in Cottonwood Falls had to shut down early for a different reason. Store manager Shelly Robinson has posted on social media the store does not have any heat. Initially, the issue was reported as a possible gas leak, although Sheriff Jacob Welsh says the issues could be with the store’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. There is no word on when the store will reopen.
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.
