Some areas were reporting light snow and ice in the early hours of Monday evening. The storm is expected to continue through Tuesday afternoon.
Update Monday 4:19 p.m. Kansas City, Mo. Mayor Sly James has declared a state of emergency for the city due to the winter storm. The state of emergency declaration is set to expire Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. City of Kansas City, Mo. offices will be closed to the public Tuesday.
Many flights scheduled into and out of KCI Monday night and Tuesday have been canceled. The Kansas City Aviation Department urges travelers to check flight statuses before heading to the airport.
Update Monday 3:53 p.m. Snow has started falling in Johnson County and the Kansas City metro area. The heaviest snow is still expected to come down Monday after nightfall.
Click here for hour-by-hour updates from KMBC.
Click here for information about school and institutional closings.
Update Monday 12:58 p.m. All flights into and out of Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport are grounded, as heavy snow has already started to fall and visibility has been reduced nearly to zero, The Wichita Eagle reports.
Highways are closed due to conditions. For a full list of highway closures, click here.
Update Monday 10:56 a.m. The National Weather Service is reporting that the highest expected snowfall amounts have shifted slightly south and east. However, it says a wide swath of 6 to 10 inches of snow is still expected for the majority of the Kansas City area.
The NWS continues: "Light rain or snow showers will begin by Monday afternoon, but most accumulating snow is expected Monday night into Tuesday morning. Travel should not be strongly impacted during the daylight hours Monday, but be prepared for a difficult morning commute on Tuesday -- or plan stay home if you can."
Monday's morning commute was clear, but by Monday evening, forecasters expect the metro area to see another round of heavy snow, accumulating at about two inches per hour.
A mix of rain and snow is expected to start coming down Monday afternoon, with the mix turning all to snow by 7 p.m. Heavy snow will fall through the night, and with winds of up to 30 miles per hour, whiteout conditions are possible.
Forecasters expect the metro area to accumulate up to nine inches from the storm, with areas to the west in Kansas receiving even more, up to a foot in some areas.
