The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a "Winter Storm Warning" for Metro (Kansas City- Leavenworth- Olathe- Lee's Summit- Liberty) and much of the Kansas City MetroRegion (Topeka- Lawrence- St. Joseph- Chillicothe- Maryville) from 6 am Wednesday morning until midnight Thursday morning.
Extreme Missouri southeastern to southern (Clinton- Nevada) counties and Kansas southwestern MetroRegion counties (Fort Scott- Iola-Garnett) are under a Winter Weather Advisory.
Expect blizzard conditions- blowing and drifting what could be around a half-foot of new snow with near white-out conditions at times- Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
More dangerous will be bitterly-cold wind chill readings dropping into the -40 range Thursday with strong west to northwest winds and near to record low temperatures through Saturday.
Yes Virginia- this storm appears to as bad if not potentially worse than the Christmas 2009 Blizzard less than 2 weeks ago.
The reported "alleged" three perps are U.S. Army MPs from the Leavenworth U.S. Disciplinary Barracks located near the Federal prison.
The three reportedly started shooting at parked cars (lucky there wasn't a teenage couple in one of them) on South 5th Street in Atchison around 10:15 pm last Wednesday- says The LEAVENWORTH (KS) TIMES.
It was a typical news media feeding frenzy- reports that Jackson County lawpeople raided a church on North Jennings in Indy-town Monday.
The INDEPENDENCE-BLUE SPRINGS- GRAIN VALLEY EXAMINER reports the apparently cause of the raid was "an alleged violation of the Federal Arms Act"- but no news stories anywhere so far give a clear indication of what the violation was.
They found some firearms and money in the church and arrested one person- I dunno what's so unusual about firearms nor money in a church that warrants a raid.
Appears to be one of these "tip of the iceberg" stories- or at least for Jackson County authorities- it had better be....
At 2:34 pm Tuesday afternoon- five companies of the KC-MO Fire department responded on a house fire in the 3700 block of Windsor- near the Truman Sports Complex.
A working fire is reported at 2:41 pm and an a MAST-EMS ambulance is requested- apparently for an injured occupant outside the house.
There reportedly are dogs inside the burning home- and firefighters use 2 handlines ("small streams") to contain the fire and possible reach the trapped canines.
The responding MAST-EMS unit says the apparently female patient is refusing transport to a hospital as the firefight carries on with temperatures in the teens.
At 2:58 pm- the fire's reported under control- but no word on the dogs inside the house.
A storm even more dangerous than the Christmas Blizzard is in store for all of Metro Kansas City as well as the northern parts of the Kansas City MetroRegion Wednesday.
Snow- 2 to 5 inches storm total accumulation by Thursday- is slated to begin by noon Wednesday and continue into early Thursday.
Then- the most severe cold air mass in almost 20 years will sweep over the area Wednesday night.
Actual air temperatures will struggle to stay in the single digits Thursday- Friday and Saturday. Overnight lows will be in the -10 to -20 degree range on those mornings.
Of greatest concern will be life-threatening wind chills as strong west to northwest winds blow over our area on Thursday- producing blowing snow/blizzard conditions and winds chills as low as the -40 degree range that will continue into Friday morning.
Driving will be extremely hazardous Thursday and motorists stranded for any length of time could find their lives in peril if their vehicle's heater quits functioning.
This is a potentially dangerous and life-threatening weather situation!
CSW will be monitoring later Wednesday into early Thursday and posting the latest information on this winter storm.
Courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Pleasant Hill- here are the all-time record low minimum and maximum temperatures recorded in Kansas City and Saint Joseph for tomorrow through Saturday.
Some of the coldest temperatures in more than 20 years are headed for the Kansas City MetroRegion beginning Thursday and threaten to break some weather records in the process
The coldest temperature ever in Kansas City was -23 F set back in 1989.
In addition- 2-5 inches of snow can be expected across Metro and most of MetroRegion Kansas City by Thursday morning.
Strong northwest winds will create blizzard conditions Wednesday night into Thursday along with dangerously cold wind-chill factors.
Firefighters from Lawson- Excelsior Springs and Wood Heights are on-the-scene or enroute to a house fire "on Clark Street" in Lawson.
The alarm was first sounded at 3:41 pm and 3 minutes later a first-arriving unit reported "smoke and fire showing from the 2nd-story" of a 2-1/2/-story house on Lawson's East Side.
Lawson is in extreme northwestern Ray County MO..
Mutual-aid fire department assistance was requested from the other departments at that time.
From radio comms at the scene- it appears the fire was started by a fireplace or defective chimney- but an official report will be forthcoming later.
So far no injuries reported or any indications that anyone was inside the house as the firefight continues.
Some developer-driven (surely NOT taxpayer-concerned) KC-MO City Council members are looking to override city planning committee recomendations to annex a piece of land near K.C.I. airport for yet another subdivision of homes.
Ya know what? This City Council silliness (Councilman Ford wants to be MAYOR???) needs to stop!
The city is ALREADY spread out more than the city services can provide adequate service for and now the city's unfair earnings tax is being questioned with voter petitions.
Plus- we're ALREADY paying out millions for underpaying TIFs and other corporate welfare.
We'll be watching the council meeting Thursday to see how this latest dreck plays out.
Six companies of KC-MO firefighters are battling a house fire in single-digit temperatures near the Brookside area.
The initial alarm sounded at 12:14 pm early Monday afternoon for a house on fire in the 600 block of East 61st Street.
The fire was actually found in a structure in the 6000 block of Kenwood.
Pumper 29 arrived at 12:17 pm and reported fire was showing from the 2nd-floor of a 2-story house.
Initial searches of the burning structure have not revealed any victims inside.
At 12:25 pm- the on-scene KC-MO battalion chief has declared this fire under control.
As of this post- no injuries have been reported and a fire investigation will be underway shortly to determine cause.
At 5:37 am- five companies of the Independence Fire department rolled out on a reported fire in a lived-in house in central IN-MO..
At 5:41 am- the first-arriving fire company reports a working fire in the basement of the house at 12712 (East) Erickson Road and an ambulance is ordered for a person reportedly injured escaping the flames.
The fire is reportedly "knocked down" at 5:56 am and the Red Cross was ordered for the "4 adults and 1" child who were displaced.
The injured person was a male who was transported by AMR-EMS to the University of Kansas Medical Center with non life-threatening smoke inhalation.
A "14-month-old" infant was taken to Cneterpoint Med Center with "no symptoms- just for a check-up" by a physician.
The fire's cause is under investigation with no dollar loss yet available.
The snowfall rate is slowly increasing again to the west of Metro K.C. according to the latest trends on weather radar- but still no NWS advisories in effect for the Metro.
Miami and Linn counties Kansas- as well as Bates county MO are in a Winter Weather Advisory through noon today.
One to three inches are reported throughout Metro Kansas City as of 1:30 am- with the heaviest amounts in Leavenworth- Wyandotte and Johnson counties Kansas.
Another 1 to 3 inches are possible by Sunday afternoon.
Here are some local traffic camera tours- locations and times indicated on the image's properties.
There have been more than a dozen non or mostly minor-injury crashes throughout Leavenworth- Wyandotte- Johnson counties in KS and in Platte and Jackson counties MO since 10:30 pm Saturday night.
Many have been slide-offs with no injuries- as shown on this K.C. Scout camera image on I-435 near Pflumm in Overland Park..
Road conditions are partially to completely snow-packed around Metro Kansas City with numerous slick spots.
If you live in or around the Ottawa- Garnett and Emporia KS areas- you're seeing the likelyhood of "2 to 4-inches of snow" overnight tonight into Sunday morning.
Here in Metro K.C.- we can expect 1 to 3 inches of snow- with the heavier accumulations being on the Kansas side.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
226 PM CST SAT JAN 2 2010
...LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION TONIGHT...
KSZ035-037-054>056-058-059-030430-
/O.NEW.KTOP.WW.Y.0001.100102T2200Z-100103T1500Z/
(Kansas Counties Included are) DICKINSON- MORRIS- LYON- OSAGE- FRANKLIN- COFFEY- ANDERSON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... ABILENE... EMPORIA... OTTAWA
226 PM CST SAT JAN 2 2010
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST SUNDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST SUNDAY.
* TIMING...LIGHT SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AFTER 6PM TONIGHT. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUNRISE SUNDAY.
* TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...2 TO 4 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE BY SUNDAY MORNING.
* WINDS...NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 TO 10 MPH ARE EXPECTED.
* IMPACTS...A DRY POWDERY SNOW WILL FALL OVERNIGHT. THIS TYPE OF SNOW WILL BE EASILY BLOW ABOUT BY FAST MOVING VEHICLES WHILE TRAVELING ON AREA ROADWAYS. THIS MAY CAUSE SUDDEN DROPS IN VISIBILITY OVERNIGHT. AREA ROADWAYS MAY ALSO BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY OVERNIGHT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
Temperatures will remain bitterly cold- in the single digits- but even colder air will move in by mid to late next week- along with a stronger snowstorm.
We'll be on this storm as well as the coming storm here at CSW....
Citizens in De Soto and surrounding areas won't really notice a change- but The DE SOTO EXPLORER reported that De Soto's city fire department and that of the rural fire district around De Soto have merged resources and administrative functions.
The new fire district is now known as the "Northwest (JoCoKS) Consolidated Fire District" and should result in a more economically-streamlined operation.
There will be no changes in fire station coverage or response times in the affected area.
Six companies of the KC-MO Fire department are currently on-the-scene or enroute to the location in the 300 block of North Chester in unincorporated Ferrelview- east of K.C.I. airport in Platte County.
The fire was reported at 8:17 pm and by 8:21 pm the first-in responding company Pumper 16 reported "heavy smoke showing from I-29 and Cookingham" Drive.
Sixteen's arrived to the "single-story" home saying "one room" was involved in flames at 8:22 pm..
Two handlines were used on the fire until it was brought under control at 8:42 pm with heavy damage to the home reported.
Two occupants of the house escaped uninjured and the fire marshal was been summonded for an offical investigation as to the cause of the fire.
Three people- including the suspect- are dead in Butler MO after a shooting around 5 am Friday morning on that Bates County (BaCo) city's east side.
A BaCo sheriff's department spokesperson said the dead are "a 25-year-old male and a 29-year-old female- brother and sister. The male was found in the street in front of the residence and the female victim was found inside."
The suspect- "a 26-year-old male"- had driven from the scene and "was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot" a short time later by police "inside his pickup truck sitting outside his father's house in Butler."
The female victim's 8-year-old daughter also sustained non life-threatening injuries in the incident from reported "bullet fragments."
The suspect and the victims reportedly knew one another.
The Carroll County sheriff's office and the Associated Press reports that five were killed- 3 children and 2 adults- in a house fire east of the small northwestern Carroll county hamlet of Reynolds early New Year's Day.
A father- mother and one of their children were among the dead along with 2 yet-undisclosed-identity minors.
Two others escaped the fire- one reportedly going to a neighbor's house to call 9-1-1 around 5 am Friday morning.
Carroll County Sheriff Troy Hofstetter said the fire was "a strange one" in that it was restricted to the basement of the single-story rural home.
Awaiting an official report from the Missouri Fire Marshal's office....
The female gunshot victim reported earlier here at CSW has died- resulting in KC-MO's first homicide of 2010.
Police say 25-year-old Latasha Prewitt was shot as a result of a physical altercation while in the parking lot of the Crescent Hotel at 5701 East Longview Road in south KC-MO around 1:15 am Friday morning.
The shooter was reported to be the other female that Ms. Prewitt had been fighting with inside Joshua's nightclub at the hotel.
A bouncer had escorted the 2 fighting women out of the club before the shooting. The suspect female is in custody and will likely be charged.
Or so it sounds...
A VERY Happy 2010 by the way to you the reader and to all of your family and friends.
Since about 1:30 am- I've heard a 40-ish-year-old female who was struck by a car in front of Chubby's in the 3700 block of Broadway.
MAST-EMS said the car was moving around 40 mph had the woman struck had a broken leg among other injuries.
MAST-EMS also transported a critically-injured-by-gunshot 30-ish-years-old female to a south-midtown KC-MO hospital. Can't tell you where that happened.
Speaking of MAST-EMS- the KC-MO paramedic/ambulance service was down to one or no ambulances citywide for about 20 minutes around 2 am..
Catch you all on the other side of New Year's Day 2010....
Anybody looking for an extended melt to this 8 to 12-inches of snowcover had best be patient.
Arctic cold fronts will keep make appearances through the coming first week of the New Year- along with at least 3 chances for more snow through next weekend.
The snow chances are late New Year's Night with a possible dusting to an inch- a more vigorous storm system late Saturday night into Sunday that could drop another 1-3 inches- and yet another storm mid-week that could add another several inches of snow.
Temperatures will stay below to well-below averages for the first of the year through at least next weekend.
Keep the snow shovels handy and buy plenty of ice melt!
I've had relatives who've filled out Nielsen TV ratings books- but had personally not been recruited until now.
Starting with the late-January "sweeps"- this family will be keeping track of our viewing on the 4 televisions around here.
This ought to be interesting- since Ms. Rittenhouse and I watch mostly cable channel fare if not DVDs- (ahem) VHS tapes or just plain surfing the unlimited variety of Web sites.
Local TV news may be in trouble when it comes to what we fill in those slots- since in many cases I AM local news (and weather).
I'd like to ESPECIALLY complain how the USCA government made over-the-air TV watching difficult to nearly impossible for analog TV owners- making it almost necessary for owners of such sets to get cable or satellite JUST to get COMMERCIAL TV!
Also- too bad you cannot note on the Nielsen diaries how BAD commercials are infiltrating every damn thing we watch on those commercial channels and how we're being gouged by cable TV rate increases.
The so-called "conservative" talker who makes a living calling people names that don't agree with his twisted agenda has been hospitalized for "chest pains."art.jpg)
The guy told medicos he takes medication for a back problem- heh- what a wimp ole Rusho is.
I had major back surgery in 1982 which effectively ended any further firefighting career- but as of this day- the only "medications" I take for the occasional back pain (shovelling snow) is the occasional aspirin.
But- I understand Rusho's problem- having been previously hooked on Oxycontin. No- actually- I DON'T understand Rusho's problem.
Either on-the-air or off of it.
Best wishes anyway Rusho- hope they find the source of your chest pains since it CAN'T be your heart and they can relieve your chronic hypocrisy....
There are reported 3 serious to critically-injured people in a 2-vehicle crash involving a vehicle rollover at the intersection of Truman Road and Benton Boulevard.
The crash occurred around 8:15 pm Wednesday evening and police were seeking one person in one of the vehicles who ran from the scene.
Extrication of 2 of the crash victims was necessary by KC-MO fire companies.
Those crash victims include "a 24-year-old male passenger" who was "found on top of the (22-year-old male) driver- both going to Truman Med Center-Hospital Hill.
Around 7:38 pm- Grandview emergency services were sent to an address in the 7000 of East 134th Terrace where reportedly a teen male bicyclist had been struck by a motorist who left the scene.
The 14-year-old reportedly suffered "an ankle injury" Grandview sources say- and the suspect vehicle was said to be a "black" colored "older-model Acura" that was driven by "a white male."
At 7:56 pm- it was determined the injured teen would be taken to a hospital via a family vehicle and police were gathering information for the report._________
According to this story in the INDEPENDENCE- BLUE SPRINGS- GRAIN VALLEY EXAMINER- Tom Waters- president of the Independence Square Association- wants to city to approve (an additional) "community improvement district (CID) tax" to publicize the Square's businesses.
Never mind that the CID ALREADY has a tax imposed on it- or that the places MOST people want to do their shopping or relax at are in and around the 39th Street and M-291 corridor that Indy's leaders heavily subsidized.
Additional taxes on taxes raise the prices people pay- who the Hell wants that???
A shooting was reported in the 3900 block of College at 2:53 pm Wednesday afternoon.
Police arrived about 7 minutes later and reported the victim had received a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Officers gave a suspect vehicle description from witnesses as "an older- boxy-style Chevy Suburban" that had "a broken-out window with plastic covering it.
The vehicle contained "a black female and 2 black males" and they drove "northbound" from the scene.
The "41-year-old male" shooting victim was transported by MAST-EMS to a Metro medical trauma center in serious to critical condition.
On Christmas Eve- The SEDALIA (MO) NEWS-DEMOCRAT reports that two buildings in the downtown area collapsed on Christmas Eve.
The buildings- shown here in better times via Google's StreetView- were in the 100 block of South Osage.
No one occupied the collapsed structures nor was anyone nearby when the buildings inexplicably came down.
The City of Sedalia was giving the building's owners 2 weeks (2 weeks??!!) to clean up the mess that's blocked Osage Street in front of the collapsed buildings.
I mentioned this BEFORE the Christmas Blizzard of 2009- how municipal budgets already strained by The Recession (Depression) have seen even more tightening now that almost of week of snow clearing/removal has arrived.
Among cities claiming the snow-removal budget is approaching or have exceeded budgeted amounts are Des Moines - Omaha and Manhattan KS..
I imagine we'll be hearing REAL soon from Kansas City MO's governmental leaders on how the Winter of 2009-10 will be draining already bare city coffers and MAYBE how the city wishes they had monies like the half-million spent on a stupid downtown convention hotel study.
(Photo courtesy of The TULSA WORLD)
The TULSA WORLD says a considerable number of former Arrow employees have filed claims with the State of Oklahoma- but doubt many if any employees get relief from the bankrupt company.
A couple of days ago- we complained on this blog that we hadn't gotten a STAR newspaper Christmas Day- the day after and the day after that.
So I called the toll-free 800 number The STAR provides and got THAT taken care of.
Well- sort of.
Since the papers started arriving again THIS week- the carrier manages everytime to miss the snow-free double driveway we have and chooses to throw the paper in the 8-14-inch snow-drifted yard.
You can see by this morning's images that the carrier even misses the previous tracks we've had to make to get Monday and Tuesday's papers.
Yes- that orange wrapper in the snow is the Wednesday morning paper which nobody has braved the snow drifts (plus 2-inches of NEW snow overnight) to retrieve.
I'm now on a first-name basis with Pam from The STAR's toll-free complaint number and the almost-daily calls are really getting to be a PITA.
Thanks Kansas City STAR for caring about your dwindling number of subscribers....
Five companies of the Kansas City MO Fire department are assisting the 3 companies of Raytown Fire fighting a house fire in the 10200 block of East 63rd Street near downtown Raytown.
The alarm sounded at 11:10 am- and when the first fire company arrived at the scene at 11:13 am they say flames shooting from the front door of the single-story house.
The structure was reported to be vacant of any occupants- and as of this post no injuries have been reported.
According to this article in Bonner Springs KS' THE CHIEFTAIN- that new interchange on the Kansas Turnpike (I-70) south of Tonganoxie was to open at 10:30 am this morning.
The new interchange is reportedly "fully automated"- which I assume means they have no way to accept cash tolls.
First off- a shout-out to Birthday Boys Jeff Meyer and Phil Wall on their 55th and 57th respectively such annual occasions.
WE don't need no stinkin' Grecian Formula...
On my last night of providing KSHB-41 Action News with weekend overnight news tips- I ended my nearly six-year run with more than 4400 emergency calls for 2009 and nearly 25000 calls since the first news report for 41 back on January 30- 2004.
I thank the great guys and gals at 41 for the teamwork- particularily the guy who hired me- the Honorable Steve Kaut. A Great 2010 to all...
Violence- grief- woe and destruction was pretty light overnight with the following exceptions:
In KC-MO: At 1:53 am came the report of two people stabbed in the 5200 block of East 6th Street.
One was reported by MAST-EMS as "a 34-year-old male with multiple stab wounds on his back" who was taken to a Metro hospital in serious to critical condition.
The other male's injuries were less serious.
Police still couldn't say if this was a knife fight between the two or there was a suspect at large.
At 12:42 am- a "31-year-old male possible victim of an assault" was found "face down" outside the Tool Shed bar at U.S. 40 and Phelps Road.
His condition was considered serious when MAST-EMS took him to Centerpoint Med Center.
KC-MO police had no other information on this incident either.
Two males got into an altercation at the "Fox and Hound" tavern at 10428 Metcalf in Overland Park around 12:15 am Sunday morning.
One person went to a hospital via MEDACT-EMS with non life-threatening injuries and the other went with OP police for a complimentary night's stay.
Fire department crews were also on the run Sunday morning...
At 4:23 am- 5 companies of the KC-MO department were called to a house fire in the 2100 block of Maddi in south-central.
When Pumper 30 pulled up to the address on the snow-covered street at 4:28 am- the single-story structure was already heavily-involved in flames. A minute later comes the report of "a partial-collapse" of the house's roof.
Firefighters used at least 2 hoselines and knocked the fire down in about 20 minutes.
No one got hurt and the cause was given as suspicious origin.
Two minutes after the fire call- at 4:25 am- KC-MO Pumper 41 was sent to the 9800 block of Marsh on a reported carbon monoxide gas buildup in a home there.
Twenty minutes later- the first of 3 MAST-EMS units were being dispatched here for the 5 people- 4 of them minors- exposed to the toxic gas.
Two of the minors- "a 10-month-old and 2-year-old" child seemed fine- but at least one of them are taken to Children's Mercy hospital for examination.
The other two minors- "a 16 and a 17-year-old" did exhibit CO2 poisoning symptoms as well as the mid to late-30's adult mother of at least some of the minors.
They were taken to Research Med Center and were all expected to be okay.
FD Pumper 41 aired out the house and the gas company was summonded.
Sunday morning marked the 3rd day that we have not received our part of a subscription contract with The KANSAS CITY STAR and we're not happy to put it mildly.
Sunday morning also marks the 3rd day of calls made to some automated/recorded subscriber's complaint department with no results.
We actually get a return automated call by mid-afternoon today saying our 9:30 am "call was too late (cutoff 9am??) for today's newspaper delivery" and would we call back "to re-schedule delivery of (the Sunday paper)" some OTHER day or "get (monetary) credit."
I'm calling a LIVE person at The Star tomorrow (Monday) to ASSURE we either get 3 days credit on the bill for missed delivery of their product or cancelling our subscription altogether.
HELL of a way to run a business Kansas City STAR!
This video was shot about 11:35 pm in front of the house- looking south toward 87th Street between I-435 and Blue Ridge in KC-MO..
Best measure of snowfall on the ground was 2-4 inches so far with a few drifts of 6-8 inches on the brief trek to the street.
Snowfall was increasing and is expected to be moderate to heavy through early Christmas morning. Winds are gusting into the mid-30 mph range with temperatures in the mid-upper teens.
To this date December 24, 2009- Kansas City has never been under a Blizzard Warning.
This is and will be a historic storm for Metro Kansas City and I'd be amiss not posting the weather statement from the NWS office in Pleasant Hill:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
955 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
...SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE THROUGH INTO FRIDAY...
...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND FAR WESTERN MISSOURI...
.SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH FRIDAY...AS A POTENT STORM SYSTEM MOVES NORTHEAST ACROSS MISSOURI. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THIS CHANGE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35. SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF 1/4 TO POSSIBLY 3/4 OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE PRIOR TO THE SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY THE END OF THE STORM ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES IN CENTRAL MISSOURI... TO 6 TO 10 INCHES IN EASTERN KANSAS AS WELL AS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL... NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF MISSOURI. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS NORTHEAST KANSAS AND FAR WESTERN AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI...WHERE VISIBILITIES MAY BE REDUCED TO UNDER 1/4 MILE WITH STRONG GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED ACROSS THE REGION.
KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001-002-011>013-020-021-028-029-037-043-053-251200-
/O.CON.KEAX.BZ.W.0002.000000T0000Z-091226T0000Z/
ATCHISON KS- MIAMI- LINN KS- DONIPHAN- LEAVENWORTH- WYANDOTTE- JOHNSON KS- ATCHISON MO- NODAWAY- HOLT- ANDREW- DE KALB- BUCHANAN- CLINTON- PLATTE- CLAY- JACKSON- CASS- BATES-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ATCHISON... PAOLA... MOUND CITY... TROY... LEAVENWORTH... OVERLAND PARK... OLATHE... TARKIO... MARYVILLE... OREGON... SAVANNAH... CAMERON... ST. JOSEPH... PLATTSBURG... PARKVILLE... PLATTE CITY... WESTON... LIBERTY... EXCELSIOR SPRINGS... KANSAS CITY... INDEPENDENCE... RAYMORE... HARRISONVILLE... PLEASANT HILL... BUTLER... RICH HILL
955 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY...
A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY.
* PRECIPITATION HAS TRANSITIONED TO ALL SNOW ACROSS AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35...WHILE A SLEET AND SNOW MIX CONTINUES SOUTH AND EAST OF KANSAS CITY. THE TRANSITION TO ALL SNOW WILL OCCUR OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. SLEET ACCUMULATIONS HAVE RANGED FROM 1/4 INCH TO AS MUCH AS 3/4 INCH. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THUS FAR HAVE BEEN 2 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE KANSAS CITY METRO AND POINTS NORTHWARD.
* SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY TONIGHT...AS THE STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY MORNING... WITH TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON RANGING FROM 5 TO 8 INCHES FROM BUTLER MISSOURI AND PLEASANTON KANSAS... NORTHWARD TO THE KANSAS CITY METRO. NORTH OF THIS AREA... SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY BE IN THE 6 TO 10 INCH RANGE.
* STRONG NORTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY... WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH AND HIGHER GUSTS. THIS WILL CREATE EXTENSIVE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
INTERSTATE 29 IS CLOSED FROM MOUND CITY MISSOURI NORTH TO THE IOWA BORDER... DUE TO DANGEROUS WHITE OUT CONDITIONS AND SIGNIFICANT DRIFTING SNOW. VISIBILITIES ARE OFTEN ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS.
* TRAVEL WILL BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND INTO TOMORROW MORNING. VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH PERIODS OF BLOWING SNOW SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES.
PERSONS PLANNING ON TRAVELING FOR THE HOLIDAY SHOULD CONSIDER MAKING ALTERNATIVE PLANS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
DO NOT TRAVEL. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's now a Blizzard Warning for the entire Metro Kansas City- the first blizzard warning I can recall in my nearly 50 years of Kansas City weather observing- reporting and chasing.
This video was shot along Blue Ridge Boulevard travelling southbound from about James A. Reed Road about 5 pm.
MARSHALL- NEMAHA- BROWN- POTTAWATOMIE- JACKSON- JEFFERSON- WABAUNSEE-
SHAWNEE- DOUGLAS- LYON- OSAGE- FRANKLIN- COFFEY- ANDERSON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MARYSVILLE... HIAWATHA... TOPEKA... LAWRENCE... EMPORIA... OTTAWA
313 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.
* TIMING...HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT.
* TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.
* WIND...NORTH WIND WILL INCREASE TO 35 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN REDUCED VISIBILITY UNDER ONE QUARTER MILE TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES..WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
* WIND CHILL...WIND CHILL READINGS WILL BE FROM FIVE TO FIFTEEN BELOW ZERO ON FRIDAY.
* IMPACTS...TRAVEL WILL BECOME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. DRIFTING OF SNOW ACROSS ROADWAYS IS LIKELY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. ANY TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.
IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY OF BEING INDOORS...YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK!
Numerous traffic crashes are being reported by all Metro Kansas City emergency agencies.
One of the latest involves reported injuries to a KC-MO traffic unit officer at 22nd Street and Paseo at 3:24 pm..
Multi-vehicle crashes have been reported in around the 'Grandview Triangle' of I-435/470-U.S. 71.
Wrecks are too numerous to note here- so be forewarned if you're going to drive anywhere over all but eastern & southeastern parts of the Metro from now onward....
Reports of traffic crashes due to slick roads are becoming more numerous now in Douglas- Miami- Johnson and Leavenworth counties in Kansas- and in Platte county Missouri.
The images shown here are various traffic and Web cameras around the Metro and MetroRegion- right-click on the image and open 'Properties' for the image location and time.
Temperatures are now at or below most of Metro Kansas City (except here at CSW- 33-degrees) and have fallen into the mid to lower 20's in extreme northern- western and southwestern MetroRegion areas.
Serious to critical injuries were reported in an accident on Leavenworth County Road 1 north of Eudora just after 1:30 pm.
A serious-injury 1-vehicle crash was reported on the Kansas Turnpike (I-70) west of the East Lawrence interchange just before 1 pm.
Several wrecks have been reported in the past 15 minutes both in Johnson county KS and in the KC-MO Northland near K.C.I. airport.
Conditions will continue to worsen through the afternoon and tonight.
I'll bet by this time Saturday- KC-MO officials will wish they had the half-million dollars they approved awhile back to study a convention hotel downtown.
As this possibly historic storm approaches and conditions worsen from west to east- highway and public works crews will put in long hours over the holiday on the roadways.
On Christmas Day- most if not all of those crews will be receiving double-time pay as well- so municipalities will be basically paying double the rate-of-pay that those crew would get on a normal day.
To make matters worse- this storm will spin around in Iowa until Sunday- continuing the snow and winds at least that long- so road crews will be working at least 72 hours on whatever schedules until the storm subsides.
Regardless- the bill to come due for this storm will be substantial even if there's not another storm all winter.
And that's not going to happen....
With the temperatures now below freezing- sleet and freezing rain have begun in Emporia and in Lawrence.
As you can see in this image taken in Emporia just before noon- sleet is covering roadways there.
Temperatures are also below freezing in Johnson County KS- but no road problems have been reported yet.
If your dream was for a white Christmas- your dreams will come true.
Present indications are for 4 to 8-inches of snow in Metro Kansas City by Christmas night- with possibly several more inches of snow by the time it all ends Saturday.
But before the snow begins this evening- we'll have ice to deal with.
The light rain now falling in Metro K.C. will turn to sleet- and falling temperatures (36 degrees as of this post here in southeast KC-MO) will turn wet- untreated roads to ice.
As temperatures continue to plummet and heavier sleet and snow falls- even treated surfaces will develop slick spots.
In addition- blizzard conditions will develop over most of the MetroRegion (Metro too) tonight- and continue into Christmas Day.
East-west roadways will become snow-covered and visibilities will fall to near white-out conditions- making driving dangerous.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS WINTER STORM- PLEASE- USE EXTREME CAUTION WALKING AND/OR DRIVING!
I'll be posting Metro road condition reports of slick roads as received....
At 11:13 am- a plane has reportedly lost their primary electrical system and is requesting an emergency landing at Kansas City International airport.
The fire department response was upgraded to an "Alert-2" at 11:17 am.
There is yet no word on the type of aircraft involved nor number of people on board (other than the pilot).
_____
UPDATE- 1142 CST: The plane has landed safety at K.C.I..
The aircraft was a Delta Airlines flight from Salt Lake City with 114 passengers and crew on board.
