First storm of 2015

Happy New Year! Ready or not, the year kicks off with a winter storm that will bring some ice and snow to Kansas moving into the weekend. Travel could be slow going, especially Saturday morning and into the afternoon. We are forecasting some ice accumulations for south central and southeast Kansas, but this does not look to be a major icing event for the area.

Freezing drizzle and freezing rain will develop early Saturday

The best chances of ice will begin after midnight Friday night and continue through about 8 or 9 a.m. Saturday. At this time, it looks like .10" of ice accumulation may cover Wichita and southeast Kansas, with areas to the west and north having better chances for some snow.

As I've mentioned before, forecasting snow is quite a challenge and depicting where the heaviest moisture goes has a lot to do with the track of the storm. This low pressure will be going through a weakening phase as it kicks out across the Plains, but still strong enough to bring this wintry weather to our area. I would expect the best chance for the heaviest snow will fall southeast of a line from Elkhart, to Dodge City, to Russell, to Concordia, which means northwest Kansas won't see very much at all (less than 2 inches). And because Wichita is expected to get some ice to start, that will cut into our snowfall accumulations around the metro area. Right now, we are just thinking an inch or two for the city.

Even after the snow completely comes to an end around midnight Saturday night, the wind will cause some blowing snow and potential for some reduced visibility (at least for awhile). Wind and bitter wind chills are likely for Sunday morning and into the afternoon before the wind backs down late in the day.

So all of this means... it might be a good weekend for staying home. The moisture will be nice, but it will certainly complicate things for those wanting to get somewhere Saturday. Stay safe out there.