Monday, January 27, 2020

Next round of winter - here we go!

We will finish off January with another round of winter weather... rain and snow will be coming through Kansas tonight (Mon. night) and Tuesday. Here's what we are confident with in this forecast:
  • No ice accumulations
  • No dangerous wind chills
  • Looks to be a rain turning to snow setup
  • Heaviest snows should go from southwest Kansas into south central areas Tuesday
The storm track is key for this event. Farther north track would push even more snow across the state, while shifting farther south would take heaviest snow into Oklahoma. We expect this storm to go from around Amarillo out across the Red River Valley Tuesday afternoon. Given that, here are some snapshots of timing for this storm.

Begins Monday night in western Kansas as a rain/snow setup:

It should get cold enough fairly quickly to bring most of the rain over to snow shortly after midnight (if not before). 

Around daybreak Tuesday, it should be snowing pretty heavily in southwest Kansas too.
These will likely be big, wet flakes coming down that could accumulate pretty quickly. Roads will be slushy or snowpacked in spots, but temperatures won't be that far from freezing, but we really need to watch elevated surfaces and roads left untreated.

Heavier snows through south central Kansas Tuesday afternoon.

Messy conditions will be a concern for afternoon and evening drive time around Wichita and south central Kansas. It will be snowing, with some occasional rain mixed in. Please plan to give yourself extra time Tuesday. These conditions aren't impossible to drive in, but it won't be smooth sailing either.

I-70 will have some snowpacked spots too, especially in northwest Kansas early Tuesday. I don't think the rest of the interstate will be that bad, and we certainly don't expect it to shut down at all during this storm (barring some unforeseen accident)

And then signs of spring?? - That's right, Super Bowl Sunday could be up in the 60s! Might be worth thinking about an outdoor watch party. =)

Have a great day.

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