Kansas City residents are digging out after a massive storm dumped nearly a foot of snow over the weekend — closing down businesses and making roads and highways nearly impassible.
Heavy snowfall and wind gusts up to 40 mph brought blizzard conditions from the central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, and left at least four people dead in Missouri and Kansas. Dozens more people were injured, mostly in car crashes.
According to the National Weather Service, the 11 inches of snow was the fourth-largest single-day snow fall on record, and the biggest overall blizzard in three decades.
“Years ago, with a storm like this, with a record high storm, the city would have been closed for days or weeks,” Kansas City Manager Brian Platt told KCUR’s Up To Date on Monday.
The National Weather Service doesn’t expect more snow to fall this week, but predicts very cold conditions will continue in the Kansas city area through Thursday morning, meaning the snow is likely to stick around for a while.
Wind chills between -5 to -15 degrees could drag temperatures below 0 on Tuesday, and into the single digits Wednesday.
Road crews are out in full force in Kansas and Missouri, however. Both state’s departments of transportation are continuing to urge people to avoid travel, if possible, citing dangerous road conditions and gusty winds.
At least three people were killed in car crashes in Kansas, and one person died in Missouri. Dozens more people were injured. Viral videos from the Kansas City metro showed cars and trucks sliding along highways and causing pileups.
Kansas City, Missouri, had about 200 drivers out on the roads Monday morning to continue to clear roads, and Platt said the city saw benefits from “aggressive” pre-treatment. Platt himself hopped into a vehicle to join the effort, which he said pulls employees from across city departments.
Both the Kansas City International and downtown airports reopened Monday, with the first flight to MCI landing at 10 a.m. from Chicago. It's first departure took off around 11 a.m. to Houston.
More than 370 flights were canceled and nearly 60 were delayed this weekend because of snow and ice on the runways.
Kansas City crews are working to clear tarmacs as more accumulates. Fliers should still prepare to wait, however, because airlines have canceled 87 flights and delayed dozens more.
Restaurants and stores at the airport are open to help passengers deal with flight issues. A representative for Kansas City recommended travelers check their flight status before leaving for the airport and give themselves plenty of time to drive and park.
Many schools and government offices closed Monday and will remain shut on Tuesday, including Kansas City and Jackson County. Some districts will transition to online learning, while others —including Kansas City Public Schools — will take another full day off. Find the latest closures here.
KCUR’s staff went out into the community to see how Kansas City residents and workers are responding to the blizzard. See photos below.
While many restaurants around Kansas City closed Sunday and stayed closed the next day, neighborhood cafe Happy Gillis opened on Monday morning to serve hot coffee and breakfast to Columbus Park residents itching to escape the house.
General manager Jeffrey Gatton lives in the neighborhood and ran the cafe by himself.
“I know the roads aren't safe and people aren't really out driving, but the neighborhood always walks out for us," Gatton said. You know, they've been cooped up. They like to come out.”
And the customers were grateful.
“We have one guy, Dick. He's here every morning, pretty much at open. And today, he's like 86, and he still made it in," Gatton said.
Jackson Dillon, 12, started his own snow-shoveling business earlier this year in Merriam, Kansas, to try to take care of all the neighbors who can't get out and shovel their own driveways.
Dillon said the snowfall over the weekend was a bit more than he could handle, so his father, Jack Dillon, stepped in to help out.
"I can't remember having to shovel out this much all in one day," Jack Dillon said. "We couldn't even get a head start on it yesterday because the temperatures were just too cold."
Kansas City, Missouri, created a program called Snow Angels that pairs volunteers to help shovel out neighbors who are elderly or have disabilities.
Michael Hernandez digs out of his driveway on Mackey Street in Merriam, Kansas. “I haven't seen snow like this since I was a kid in the late ‘80s,” Hernandez said. “It's pretty crazy.”
"I still got a long ways to go and dig out so, yeah, I got plenty of work cut out for me." Hernandez said. "As you can see, labor wise, yes, I'm working from home today."
Ken Robson kicks up a spray of powder with his snowblower in a neighbor’s driveway on Mackey Street in Merriam, Kansas.
Robson said he helps clear a path for neighbors anytime it snows. “From here, I got to go to my in-laws’ house and do their house,” he said.
“It's a lot of lifting to get it up and out of the way, but it definitely isn't too bad,” said Sam Cramer, scooping snow off his driveway on Johnson Drive in Merriam, Kansas. “But I'm dreading doing this bit by the street here.”
While many major streets have gotten plowed already, residents across Kansas City told KCUR that their residential roads are still slick or impassable. The low temperatures have made road salt less effective, and it may take several passes to get rid of the snow.
Julie Denesha, Celisa Calacal, Lisa Rodriguez, Carlos Moreno and Kylie Graham contributed reporting.
