The weather forecast has changed from the National Weather Service, calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow today in the Wyandotte County area, instead of the previous estimate of 3 to 6 inches.
Overnight, a layer of sleet and ice fell on the area, leaving roads slick and hazardous. Snow was falling at 8:45 a.m. Saturday in Wyandotte County, and the forecast called for snow to continue until 4 p.m.
Wyandotte County remains under a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. Saturday, the weather service said.
An area of heavier snow has shifted to the east of the Wyandotte County area, according to the weather service.
Snow accumulating on top of already icy road surfaces will mean continued hazardous travel conditions through Sunday morning, the weather service said.
Also, there are dangerous wind chills ongoing this morning and continuing through the day, according to the weather service. At 8 a.m. Saturday, it was 19 degrees with a wind chill of 8.
Road conditions, accidents
There were a number of accidents on Friday night in Wyandotte County.
One of the most serious accidents was at 9:59 p.m. Friday at I-70 and 57th Street, and I-70 was closed for several hours.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report, the driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe lost control on the westbound I-70 bridge over 57th because of icy conditions, then struck the trailer of a Mack truck.
The Mack truck then overturned, and went sideways, the trooper’s report stated. The Tahoe drove down the embankment to the right, the report stated.
The driver of the Tahoe, a 41-year-old man from Kansas City, Kansas, had no apparent injury, the report stated. A 41-year-old male passenger in the Tahoe from Kansas City, Missouri, had a possible injury and was taken to a hospital, according to the trooper’s report.
The driver of the Mack truck, a 60-year-old man from Brighton, Illinois, had no apparent injury, the report stated.
Many side streets in Wyandotte County were ice-covered on Saturday morning. Highways had been treated, but with the precipitation continuing to fall, there was some ice and snow on them, with pathways created by vehicles traveling on them. Windy weather on Saturday could mean that snow falling today may blow over the highways later, according to the weather service.
Travel was widely discouraged, with the weather service warning motorists of slick conditions. Road conditions can be found at www.kcscout.net or by calling 511, and at www.kandrive.org.
The Unified Government stated on social media on Friday that crews were on duty and would begin to treat the roads as sleet and snow fell overnight, but the very cold temperatures meant that ice would form on the roads, making travel dangerous. The UG asked people to avoid travel if possible, give snow plows room to operate safely, and avoid parking on the street where possible.
At 8:53 a.m. Saturday, there was only one customer listed without power on the BPU’s power outage map of Kansas City, Kansas.
Saturday’s high will be near 21 degrees, with a north northwest wind of 8 to 15 mph, gusting as high as 25 mph, according to the weather service.
Sunday, there will be a 20 percent chance of snow before 2 p.m., then a slight chance of drizzle and snow between 2 and 3 p.m., then a slight chance of drizzle after 3 p.m. Sunday’s high will be near 37, the weather service said.
For more weather information, visit www.weather.gov or https://www.weather.gov/eax/hwo.
There are a number of closures today. The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Libraries, all locations, are closed. Also announced was the closure of all three Children’s Mercy Urgent Care locations in the Kansas City area. Kansas City Kansas Community College has announced that games in the 2020 KCKCC Classic Saturday have been canceled. Saturday’s Grinter Place Winter Speakers Series program has been canceled. Many school activities planned this weekend have been canceled.
There also were bus delays on Saturday. For more information, visit ridekc.org.