Winter storm watch issued for Wyandotte County, six inches of snow possible

(Image courtesy of the National Weather Service)

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Who's up for another snow storm?

A winter storm watch will be in effect for Wyandotte County from 6 p.m. on March 1 to 6 a.m. on March 3. Today, there's a chance of showers with a high of 45 degrees. Tonight, there's a chance for snow.

Beginning on Saturday is when the heavier winter weather arrives.

Snow and sleet will enter the area sometime Saturday evening. By Saturday night, there could be 2-4 inches of snow on the ground, according to the National Weather Service.

More snow is possible on Sunday, with an additional 1-3 inches of snow in the forecast.

Along with the snow, cold temperatures will also be a feature of the storm.

A wind chill of -10 to -20 is possible for Monday morning. The actual temperature on Sunday night could dip down to -3 degrees.

UG snow removal crews now clearing residential streets

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ------ Here's an update on the snow-plowing from the Unified Government:

City crews have been working around the clock aggressively clearing snow on primary and secondary roads. These roads have the highest volume of traffic and are the major thoroughfares through the City and County. Public Works completed the plowing of these roads at approximately 9:00 a.m. this morning and have now transitioned into residential neighborhoods.

KCK received approximately 9 to 10 inches of snow from yesterday’s winter storm that didn’t blow past until about 4:00 a.m. this morning. Crews will continue addressing concerns and clearing neighborhood streets well into the evening and night hours. Residential streets are expected to be completed early Thursday morning.

To ensure that emergency vehicles and plows get through, the UG is asking residents to not block emergency routes through the city. If these routes are blocked by stranded vehicles, the cars may be towed. Emergency routes are major thoroughfares through the city and are clearly identified by street signs.

Also if possible, please park cars in driveway so that plows can have easy access to clear snow from your street.

The KCATA and UG Transit bus services are up and running, but there may be some delays. Customers can track their buses using the live-bus-tracking tool, WebWatch.

Deffenbaugh Industries will not collect residential and commercial routes today, Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Kansas City, Ks.All routes will be serviced one day late through Saturday. Commercial collections will experience significant delays.

Deffenbaugh asks residents to help drivers by making sure containers and bags are not buried or bound by snow.

If snow plows haven’t cleared a residential street by Thursday morning, residents can call the 3-1-1 Call Center. Residents can also email snow related concerns and questions to snowcomplaints@wycokck.org.

KCATA, UG transit routes to close at 4

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- The KCATA and Unified Government have announced closing times of transit routes.

More information:

In conjunction with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, Metro and UG Transit routes in Kansas City, Kansas, will end service at 4 p.m.

The last trip times for Metro KCK routes are:

• 101-State Ave. Connex: Last westbound 101 leaves 10th & Main at 3:35 pm. Last eastbound 101 leaves Village West & Parallel Parkway at 3:57 pm.

• 102-Central will not provide Metro service, which normally begins after 4 pm.

• 104-Argentine: Last westbound 104 leaves 7th & Minnesota at 3:46 pm. Last eastbound 104 leaves 40th & Lawrence at 3:45 pm.

• 106-Quindaro: Last westbound bus leaves 10th & Main at 3:50 pm. Last eastbound bus leaves 47th & State Ave. at 3:32 pm.

• 107-Parallel: Last southbound bus leaves 47th & State Ave. at 3:21 pm. Last northbound bus leaves 43rd & Booth at 3:45 pm.

UG readies for storm: WyCo District Court closed, trash collection beginning early

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- With a large snowstorm on the way, the Unified Government has made several announcements about Tuesday's services. 

Below is a lot of information worth reading. 

The National Weather Service has announced a Winter Storm Warning for the greater Kansas City area beginning Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 6 a.m. through Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 9 a.m., with heaviest snowfall between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday. The storm is expected to bring 6-10 inches of snow, along with east/northeast winds between 10-25 miles per hour, which may create whiteout conditions.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Ks. urges residents to take precautions during this snow event and avoid driving in these hazardous conditions. In an effort to expedite snow removal, residents are advised that parking cars off-street during snow plow operations greatly enhances the ability of snow plows to remove snow, especially in cul-de-sacs and dead end streets.

Also, following these tips can help ensure your safety:

• Stay back at least 50’ from the rear of a plow truck so the driver can see you. If you cannot see the motorist’s mirrors, the driver cannot see you.

• Park your vehicles in your driveway whenever possible.

• Don’t allow your vehicles to hang out into the street.

• Avoid passing or driving beside plow trucks.  Some trucks are capable of plowing multiple lanes at one time.

• Avoid placing snow from your driveway back into the street.  Less snow will be pushed into your driveway by passing plows.

• Remove portable basketball goals and any other structures from the street. This will enable snow plows to reach the curb and eliminate possible damage to the truck or portable structures.

• Maintain trimmed tree branches along the street.

• Property owners are responsible for maintenance of the sidewalks adjacent to their property. We ask that both business and residential owners maintain their sidewalks for safe pedestrian travel.

The Unified Government Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance and snow removal for approximately 1,700 center lane miles of roadway. To keep traffic moving throughout the City during a winter weather event, the snow plan prioritizes plowing into three types of snow routes: Hot routes, secondary routes and residential routes.

Crews will plow and treat primary “hot” routes and continue with collector “secondary” routes to allow residents the safest passage to work, school or other destinations. Once these streets have been completed then crews will begin plowing and treating neighborhood routes. Depending on severity and timing of the storms, it may be necessary for crews to address the “hot” and “secondary” routes more than once before beginning neighborhoods.

Residents should make plans to be inside tomorrow, including refilling any necessary medications today.

The Wyandotte County District Court and all District Court Offices will be closed on Tuesday, February 4th. However, Kansas City, Kansas Municipal Court will be open for regular court docket on Tuesday.

Emergency Management will be activated and personnel representing key City and County departments, as well as BPU, will be present and working together to monitor the event and coordinate activities among departments providing snow and ice removal and emergency responders from the Police and Fire departments.

In preparation for the winter storm, trash and recycling services will began an hour early tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.

Residents wanting to report slick spots or missed streets to the City’s 311 Call Center should wait until the next business day after snow has stopped falling. While crews are running assigned snow routes, it is assumed that all streets are slick. To report a non-emergency snow or ice concern, please use the city’s online reporting system at snowcomplaints@wycokck.org or call 573-8307. Call 911 if you have police, fire or medical emergency.  Requests for emergency snow and ice removal will be directed by emergency service personnel.

If power goes out, hotline available for BPU customers

The Board of Public Utilities is preparing for a significant winter storm tomorrow. 

Here is more information for customers if the power goes out.

Please note the bold part just in case you lose power:

Local news media outlets and the National Weather Service are forecasting a powerful winter storm that will affect the KC metro area Tuesday through Wednesday morning with another possible storm Friday and Saturday.  Heavy snow, cold temps and high winds are predicted.

Our BPU line crews are ready to respond to outages and are prepared for this anticipated storm.

Customers, who experience an electrical outage, are reminded to call the electric outage hotline number directly at 913-573-9522 or online at www.bpu.com or via our Facebook page.

BPU’s web site features a “live” real-time electrical outage map that covers the utility’s entire service area. Customers and news media can see if an outage has been reported in their area, a summary of affected/restored customers, as well as the number of outage calls reported.

To see this map, click on the “report outage” button on our home page and the outage map is located on the next page. We will also be sharing information on our social media sites.

Kansas braces for third snowstorm

Although recent days of warm weather have given Kansans a taste of spring, winter is not over and the public is reminded to keep themselves prepared for winter storms.

Another major winter storm will move into the state Friday night, bringing a rain and drizzle mix that will transition to snow early Saturday in some areas.

National Weather Service reports indicate counties along the Oklahoma border are expected to receive light, blowing snow.

Snowfall totals by Sunday morning will range from six to seven inches near I-70 and north, five inches in the Dodge City/Garden City areas, to one to two inches in counties near the Colorado border.

Winds will be a major issue with this storm with winds of 25-30 mph Saturday afternoon into Saturday night, decreasing to 15 mph by Sunday morning.

“Be prepared by re-checking your home and auto emergency kits,” said Angee Morgan, deputy director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. “Replenish any supplies you may have used because of earlier storms. Although the overall effects of this storm may not be as severe as the one that hit us in February, we are urging everyone to be prepared in case of power outages and to use caution when traveling. Check your local forecast for conditions in your area and along any travel routes.”

WEATHER CLOSINGS: Piper pushes back sub-state basketball games

Because of an incoming snow storm, Piper High School is pushing back its two sub-state games to Wednesday.

Full plans, courtesy of Piper High School: 

Due to impending weather here is the schedule for the upcoming week. Tonight and Tuesday games have been re-scheduled for Wednesday.

Wednesday: Piper will host:

Basehor vs. Piper girls @ 5 p.m.

Perry-LeCompton vs. Piper boys @ 6:30 p.m.

If, for some reason we are not able to play on Wednesday, this schedule will be pushed back to Thursday. Also, all practices tonight are still being held, up to the discretion of each activity.

Baseball – MS gym
Soccer – east gym
Track – HS weight room
Golf – MS classroom
Softball – TBA

Snow leads to schedule changes for clinics at KU Hospital

News Release

The University of Kansas Hospital remains open and will remain open for patient care during the current snowstorm, according to Tammy Peterman, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer of The University of Kansas Hospital.

However, Peterman said the snowstorm has led the hospital to close many clinical offices throughout the metro area:

• The hospital’s network of Jayhawk Primary Care offices are closed today. Patients are being notified.

• The hospital’s evening Urgent Care clinics in Westwood, Gladstone, Kansas City, Kansas and KU MedWest in Shawnee will be closed tonight.

• Mid-America Cardiology clinics will all be closed by early afternoon, with patients being notified.

• Cancer services will be available as needed for patients.  Cancer patients with appointments are being contacted to determine if a clinic visit is needed.

“Our mission is to keep our patients healthy, and it does not make sense to risk their health by driving in a major snowstorm to get to a non-critical appointment.  Our staff is prepared to stay as long as it takes to help any patient with critical care needs and our hospital, emergency department and trauma services are open every hour of every day to respond to any critical situation,” said Peterman.

Peterman said the hospital will assess the situation again for patients with Friday appointments.

The University of Kansas Physicians decided earlier to close all its clinics today.  Patients with appointments are being notified.

UG to close at 1 p.m. today

News release:

The Unified Government will close non-essential buildings and operations at 1:00 p.m. today. The offices will resume normal business hours tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m.

Trash to be collected one day later due to impending storm

Deffenbaugh Industries announced this afternoon that trash will be picked up one day later due to an impending snow-storm hitting the Kansas City metro area.

Thursday and Friday trash routes will be collected Friday and Saturday as a result of the forecast.

“We believe that the best course for the safety of both the public and our employees requires us to remove our trucks from the roads,” said Tom Coffman, company spokesperson. “We know from experience that many of our customers will have trouble getting their trash and recycling to the curb, and we know that some of our trucks will not be able to service certain neighborhoods. The crews who push snow do a great job, and we decided to get out of their way and let them do their work. Nobody wants to see a snow plow blocked from their street by a trash truck stuck in snow.”

Winter Storm Watch issued for Kansas City metro area

A winter storm watch has been issued for the Kansas City metro area.

According to the National Weather Service, the Kansas City area could be hit hard by both ice and snow in the next 48 hours. Heavy snow, along with sleet and ice accumulations, is being predicted by the National Weather Service.

News release:

* TIMING...LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR THURSDAY MORNING AND MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON THE MORNING COMMUTE.

* SNOW/ICE ACCUMULATIONS...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW...SLEET AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL GENERALLY FALL NORTH OF A LEAVENWORTH TO RICHMOND LINE...WHILE THE GREATEST THREAT FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A PAOLA TO WARRENSBURG LINE. A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR IN BETWEEN THESE AREAS.

* IMPACTS...HEAVY SNOW...SLEET AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL HAVE  SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON TRAVEL. ICE MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES.