Several schedule adjustments have been announced to start the work week due to abundant snow accumulation and bitter cold expected to remain through at least midweek.
One of the more notable changes was a delay in the start of the 105th Lyon County League basketball tournament as games scheduled for Monday have been moved to Tuesday with the same start times. Tuesday’s games are now being moved to Wednesday, with consolation semi-finals still taking place Thursday, followed by championship semi-final games Friday and championship games on Saturday.
Lead tournament organizer Ted Vannocker will join KVOE’s Morning Show at 7:20 am Monday to discuss the tournament and any additional schedule changes. The announcement of the change in schedule for the LCL tournament followed several area school districts’ announcing closures due to the combination of hazardous driving conditions and sub zero wind chills forecasted for Monday.
You can find the latest schedule adjustments on the KVOE.com closings and cancellations page.
City and County road crews have noted the road conditions Sunday, following 48-hours of uninterrupted snowfall late Friday into early Sunday, led to snow-packed roads, but little to no ice accumulation at least that could be seen. However, following abundant sunshine Sunday, crews are expecting much of the snow to begin melting, which could create slick and icy conditions in the overnight to early morning hours Monday, with overnight air temperatures around -7 and wind chills between -12 and -17 likely leading to refreezing.
Monday, air temperatures will warm up significantly with highs in the low 20s; however, wind chills will still be in the negatives, ranging from -8 to -18. A cold weather advisory remains in affect areawide until noon Monday as a result of the biting cold.
High temperatures are expected to reach the low to upper 30s come Wednesday before dipping back into the low 20s by the upcoming weekend. Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates as they become available.
11:20 am Sunday: City and County road crews continue treating snow-packed roadways Sunday; Forecasts for bitter cold evening and overnight air temperatures leading to concerns of refreezing and icy conditions to start upcoming work week
Wintry precipitation is at an end as part of the recent winter storm that blew through the area Friday into Sunday, however, biting cold will be remaining through the early half of the upcoming work week.
Across the KVOE listening area, snowfall was steady from late Friday night into early Sunday morning, resulting in six inches at the KVOE studios, with similar totals reported elsewhere.
Current snow totals:
5-6 inches in the 900 block of Grand Street.
4.5 inches, six miles north of Emporia
4.5 inches 1 mile north of Plymouth
This has affected driving conditions both in and around the community, with Assistant Lyon County Engineer Jim Brull and Jeff Meek of the Emporia Public Works Department saying roads are heavily snow-packed as of Sunday morning, with little to no ice reported beneath the snow.
The forecast is calling for sunny skies into the upcoming work week, which both Brull and Meek say should help to reduce some of the snow on roads heading into Monday. However, Meek says as the snow begins to melt, concerns will begin to shift to refreezing, which could ice up roadways for the morning commute.
Meek and Brull say both city and county crews will continue to clear roads through the remainder of the day and will be up early treating roads; however, Meek says the current forecasted temperatures may negate their efforts.
Regardless of the time of day, both Brull and Meek are asking drivers to take their time if they have to be out on the roadways, as even though ice may not be hyper present at this time, there could still be isolated patches. If you do not have to travel, Brull says stay home for both your safety and the safety of road crews.
Both Brull and Meek anticipate it may be midweek before we start to see road conditions returning to a sense of normalcy, as high temperatures are forecasted in the mid-teens to low 20s between Sunday and Monday, with a gradual warm-up of sorts occurring by Tuesday with temperatures well above freezing in the low to mid 30s. Nonetheless, windchills will remain below zero, ranging from -3 to -19 between Sunday and Tuesday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more weather updates as they develop. If you have snow totals please message KVOE@KVOE.com or the Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply text line 620-342-5863.
8:00 pm Saturady: Road crews return to duty with light snow expected to end early Sunday
Light snow continued through Saturday, meaning a renewed effort to clear streets and roads is now underway.
Forecasts had called for a pause in snowfall from late Saturday morning to early evening, but light snowfall took place consistently during those few hours, causing crews to return to local streets around sunset.
Crews initially went out no later than 6 am Saturday, depending on the department. In Emporia, crews had success in getting the main arterials plowed as well as the area around Newman Regional Health, in part because breezy conditions early Saturday calmed down as the morning progressed. The same trend in the wind also largely helped Lyon County road crews.
Current plowing could extend to early Sunday morning, with snow overall likely ending before sunrise. The tentative plan has city crews returning to arterials and Newman Regional Health, with areas around Emporia schools as a secondary focus. Spot-treating will continue for Lyon County crews.
If a third round is needed, Emporia crews will consider arterials, Newman Regional Health and schools as co-equal priorities. Lyon County crews will determine their course of action if needed Sunday.
Snow totals are currently not to peak forecasts from earlier in the week, which had 10 or more inches of snowfall possible, but the area’s first measurable snowfall of the season has had some notable totals:
*Ninth and Lawrence: 5.25 inches
*Ninth and Whildin: 6 inches
*10th and Weaver: 6 inches
*18th and Meadowlark: 5 inches
*2 miles west of Alma: 5 inches
*Burlington: 3 inches
Another 1-2 inches of snow is possible areawide on top of accumulations as of 9 pm Saturday.
If you have snow totals or photos, message the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply text line at 620-342-5863.
11:30 am Saturday: Emporia, Lyon County officials note progress in clearing streets Saturday with more snowfall still possible
Light snowfall remains possible areawide, but the period for heaviest accumulations has passed.
Totals have ranged from 2-4 inches areawide, between earlier projections of no more than 3 inches to as high as 12 inches. Traffic has been decidedly slower than normal as a result, but local road crews made a lot of progress Saturday — and a combination of occasional sunshine and decreasing winds helped. Assistant Lyon County Engineer Jim Brull says roads were 75 percent clear as of 9 am, although there were areas of snow cover near wind blocks. Interim Emporia Public Works Director Brian Silcott had a similar report as crews plowed US Highway 50 and Industrial Road before going to secondary streets and the area surrounding Newman Regional Health.
The aspect of this massive winter storm also affecting the Southern Plains, Tennessee Valley and possibly Mid-Atlantic States is the ongoing extreme cold. Air temperatures dipped to the single digits early Friday and haven’t left, while wind chills have been between -7 and -17 since 6 am Friday. Air temperatures may get to the teens Sunday but are set to dive to -5 Sunday night, again with wind chills at -10 to -15. These are temperatures that lead to frostbite and hypothermia in short order for people, and they aren’t great for livestock or other animals, either. Lyon County Extension Ag Agent Brian Rees tells KVOE News the bitter cold comes to the area with a lot of cattle “on the brink” of birthing to really launch calving season. He says ranchers need to make sure cattle are as comfortable as possible, given the conditions.
Rees says ranchers also need to consider their own health and safety when they are out in the cold.
The cold is also a time when space heaters see more use, occasionally with disastrous consequences through structure fires. Emporia Fire Battalion Chief Tony Fuller says there are certain things that must happen when using space heaters.
Fuller says newer homes may handle space heaters better than older ones, but space heaters can still overload electric circuits.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for KVOE’s social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @kvoenews and X@kvoeam1400. Also:
*Click here for KVOE News’ prior coverage
*Click here for KVOE’s Closings and Cancellations page
*Click here for KVOE’s Warming Shelter information page
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including video reports before and during the current winter storm
4:30 am Saturday: Crews out with light snow underway areawide
Travel conditions are far from ideal across the KVOE listening area as a winter storm continues through most of the weekend.
After flurry activity Friday afternoon and evening, light accumulating snowfall began in the late-night hours. Travel is currently slow-going in Emporia, with air temperatures in the single digits Friday into Saturday rendering any pretreatment options as ineffective. Highway travel isn’t any better, with all area highways either partly or completely snow-covered aside from Interstate 35 immediately around Emporia, which is listed as clear.
Initially, the city plan was to wait on plowing until there were 3 inches of snow on the ground, but Lyon County Emergency Communications called crews out before 2 am with up to an inch of snow on the ground at that time. KDOT road crews are also out.
We are now into the period where law enforcement officials, emergency responders and meteorologists are telling you to stay home unless absolutely necessary, and National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Reese says it may be Sunday before travel conditions improve.
Projected snow totals had gone from a 3-inch maximum Tuesday to a 4-inch minimum by Thursday, with some models indicating as much as a foot of snow in certain spots. The current range is 3-7 inches, with higher totals along and southeast of Interstate 35.
Lyon County Undersheriff John Koelsch says there will be travel problems just because of the snow, in addition to wind chills at -15 or lower. Winds should taper off to around 10 mph Saturday after being between 30-40 mph Friday, but some drifting is also possible.
Deputy Doug Stump says road conditions “aren’t horrible,” but people should still stay home if possible.
Stump also reminds people to stay out of the cold, with wind chills again expected to be under -10 all day Saturday and below zero into Sunday.
Residents involved in crashes should also keep a cool head in these cold conditions.
If you must travel, make sure your cell phone is charged and you have an emergency travel kit. Information about winter travel kits is online at ready.gov/kit.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for KVOE’s social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @kvoenews and X@kvoeam1400. Also:
*Click here for KVOE News’ prior coverage
*Click here for KVOE’s Closings and Cancellations page
*Click here for KVOE’s Warming Shelter information page
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including video reports before and during the current winter storm
