Just when you thought things were getting back to relative normalcy following Sunday’s blizzard, a new round of snow is expected Thursday night into Friday morning.
Luckily, this new system will pack nowhere near the wintry wallop that Sunday’s historic storm did. And
But it still could complicate Friday morning’s commute and (parents, hold your breath) may lead schools to once again think about canceling classes. Kansas City Public Schools already called a weather emergency day, with no classes in person or online.
Here’s what we know right now:
How much snow are we expected to get?
In an updated forecast Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service’s Kansas City field office in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, said the area was now in line to get 2-3 inches of snow Thursday night.
NWS meteorologist Brent Pesel said snow is expected to start falling this evening around 6 or 7 p.m., and will likely taper off by about 7 a.m. Friday.
“So that’s the good news, there shouldn’t be too many people on the roads when the snow is falling,” he said, adding that the heaviest snowfall will occur between 10 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday.
Will there be ice?
Pesel said this new winter storm system is carrying only snow, and no ice or wintry mix is expected.
That’s unlike last weekend, when freezing rain coated the roads before nearly a foot of snow fell.
“Basically, it will be a layer of snow on top of the ice and snow that is already there,” Pesel said.
Will this make road conditions worse?
Pesel said residents should expect commutes on Friday to be impacted.
Temperatures will remain well below freezing — likely somewhere in the teens — on Friday morning, meaning snow and ice already on the roads will stay frozen.
“Certainly, we’ll see the roads remaining slick,” Pesel said, though he added that in some cases the snow falling tonight could “add grip” to snow-packed residential streets.
Still, he cautions that if you’re hitting the roads Friday to be safe and go slow.
Cities were standing by Thursday afternoon, planning to send road crews out again Thursday evening.
“We sent the night shift home [Thursday] morning. They will return at 7 p.m. and be ready to plow once accumulation starts,” said Overland Park city spokesperson Meg Ralph. “The day shift will be ready to go tomorrow morning if they’re needed.”
Likewise, in Olathe, crews were preparing for another long possible night of work.
“We stand ready,” Olathe city spokesperson Cody Kennedy told the Post. “Trucks are fitted and active. Crews are continuing to plow through remaining ice and treating for forecasted weather.”
In response to the Post’s inquiry, Merriam said they were pretreating hills and bridges in anticipation of Thursday’s storm.
Will my kids have another snow day?
Yes, if you attend Kansas City Public Schools.
All six Johnson County public school districts were in session Thursday for the first time since Sunday’s blizzard.
School leaders, including Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager, noted the challenges of getting school campuses ready under such conditions.
“I would be remiss if I did not give a special shout-out to our hardworking operations staff and custodians for all that you have done to make our schools accessible. Your efforts are truly appreciated,” Yeager noted in a tweet Wednesday.
A new round of snow is likely to exacerbate those challenges. Find a full list of local delays and closings here.
When will it warm up?
Pesel with the National Weather Service said temperatures are expected to break the freezing point this weekend but only barely.
That means, most of this snow and ice is likely to remain around for the time being.
“It will be a continuation of the status quo: steady warming, clouds will linger [Friday]. The ice and snow may not melt away immediately,” he said.
Long range forecasts don’t show a more substantial warmup into the upper 30s and even the 40s until late next week.
This story was originally published by the Johnson County Post.
