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Southeast Missouri could see severe weather Saturday; snow expected in far northwest Missouri (AUDIO)

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says strong to severe thunderstorms are possible Saturday and Saturday night across parts of southeast Missouri.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says severe storms and isolated tornadoes are possible in southeast Missouri on February 23, 2019 (map courtesy of NWS St. Louis Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Melissa Byrd expects wind gusts of close to 40 miles per hour in places.

“As far as any kind of severe weather, we could see some isolated strong to severe storms tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon and tomorrow evening, especially over portions of southeast Missouri and southern Illinois,” Byrd says.

Towns like Cape Girardeau, Dexter, Farmington, Perryville and Sikeston could see storms Saturday, and Byrd says isolated tornadoes are possible.

She says the thunderstorms are expected to develop, when the atmosphere destabilizes ahead of a strong cold front.

“Well we got warmer air moving into the region with a lot of moisture and instability which would help to generate thunderstorms,” says Byrd.

Meantime, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says motorists traveling in far northwest Missouri could see slick roads and some blowing snow on Saturday, northwest of I-35.

The NWS says heavier snowfall is expected in southeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri towns like Tarkio.

NWS meteorologist Jared Leighton tells Missourinet that northwest Missouri’s Atchison County is projected to receive two to five inches of snowfall on Saturday, while other parts of far northwest Missouri could receive a dusting to two inches.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) St. Louis meteorologist Melissa Byrd, which was recorded on February 22, 2019:

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Snow and ice heading for much of Missouri (AUDIO)

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill and the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are warning about possible white out conditions across parts of Missouri on Tuesday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says much of Missouri will see snow and some ice (February 19, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha says the heaviest snowfall will be in northwest Missouri, where Maryville and Bethany could see six inches.

“There will be periods of some moderate to heavy snow later this evening that will impact visibility,” Pietrycha says. “It will quickly accumulate on roads.”

The Kansas City metro is projected to receive three inches of snowfall, while Columbia and Jefferson City should receive about two inches. St. Louis and parts of southeast Missouri are also expected to receive about two inches of snow.

MoDOT says snow and freezing rain will impact the commute of many Missourians this evening, into tonight. Pietrycha says the snow is moving up from the south, which means Springfield and Joplin will see the first band of snow.

“Coming up from the south, probably 4 to 6 (p.m.) south of the Kansas City I-70 corridor,” says Pietrycha.

Snow is expected to begin falling in Kansas City, Sedalia and Jefferson City between 5 and 7 p.m., and snow will begin in far northern Missouri’s Chillicothe and Kirksville after 7 o’clock.

MoDOT is urging you to slow down and to have a full tank of gasoline, before you drive.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill says a large portion of Missouri will also receive ice during the winter storm. Pietrycha says the snow is expected to begin changing to freezing rain at around midnight, into early Wednesday morning.

“As that snow moves further to the north overnight we’ll see a gradual transition to some freezing drizzle, maybe some light freezing rain,” Pietrycha says.

Kansas City, Columbia, Jefferson City and Hannibal are just some of the towns that will see ice. The freezing rain will also impact bridges and overpasses.

MoDOT encourages anyone with questions about road conditions to call their customer service center. You can call 1-888-ASK-MODOT to speak to an operator anytime 24-7.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha, which was recorded on February 19, 2019:

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Bad weather forces northeast Missouri school district to miss 19 school days already

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Many Missouri schools, including Knox County schools in northeast Missouri, have missed several days of school lately due to bad weather. Superintendent Andy Turgeon says his district has racked up 19 missed school days over the past month and a half.

Bad weather forces northeast Missouri school district to miss 19 school days

“Our gravel roads were solid ice,” he tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly. “A lot of our secondary blacktop roads were nothing but ice, especially in the northern part of our county. Our parking lot was a sheet of ice.”

Turgeon says the district has a plan to make up the missed days.

“We’re using up whatever days we can. We’re using up President’s Day on Monday. Then we had a day off after Parent Teacher Conferences in March. We’re going to use it. We had a professional development day in March. We’re going to use it. We’re going to cut our Easter break short and come back that Monday after Easter.”

Turgeon says the rest will be added to the end of the school year. Knox County’s original last day was May 21. The district’s last day is tentatively May 29.

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Winter Weather Advisory issued for much of Missouri

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Westbound I-70 in Concordia, halfway between Columbia and Kansas City, was closed for several hours yesterday during a pileup involving several semis

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Missouri, except for far southeast Missouri. This system is expected to bring light snow, freezing drizzle and a light glaze of ice Saturday evening until about noon Sunday. Snow totals could range from one to three inches.

Friday’s winter weather caused major traffic problems in Missouri. State troopers responded to about 1,800 service calls yesterday, including some 600 stranded motorists and 600 vehicles crashes. One fatal crash was also reported in Oak Grover near Kansas City.

National Weather Service meteorologist Thomas Spriggs tells Missourinet another winter system is headed our way Tuesday – mainly north and west of the St. Louis metro area. A dusting of snow could be in store with that system.

Check current conditions at http://traveler.modot.org.

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Winter weather has been deadly in Missouri; I-70 in Concordia has reopened

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UPDATE: The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says westbound I-70 at Concordia has re-opened, after being closed for more than five hours.

BRIAN’S ORIGINAL STORY IS BELOW:

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield is warning travelers that Friday evening’s commute will be difficult across the Ozarks, because roads have deteriorated from snow and ice.

The National Weather Service in Springfield is urging motorists to finish their travel as soon as possible (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Mike Albano in Springfield says Branson, Monett, Neosho and West Plains are seeing ice. Some of those areas have seen almost two-tenths of an inch of ice already.

“For people traveling along and south of the U.S. 60 corridor, we’d suggest avoid any unnecessary travel,” Albano says. “Between a tenth and two-tenths of an inch of ice certainly has its problems that it could cause out there on the roadways,” Albano says.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to fall across the Ozarks this afternoon, and the NWS is urging you to complete your travel as soon as possible.

“And this is a system that’s going to be around really through the evening commute, probably not pulling out of maybe the Branson, the Springfield metropolitan areas until maybe after 6 o’clock this evening,” Albano says.

The NWS says the Warsaw and Osage Beach areas could see up to three inches of snow, by Friday evening.

Numerous Missouri school districts either canceled classes today, or dismissed early. That meant some of school buses were taking children home during the snowstorm.

Meantime, the NWS in western Missouri’s Pleasant Hill, near Kansas City, says multi-vehicle crashes have caused closures on numerous highways and interstates in the Kansas City region, across the metro and beyond.

Here are some other big stories from today’s winter storm, across the state:

** Missouri state troopers in Lee’s Summit say one person has been killed in a 15-vehicle crash today on westbound I-70, near Oak Grove. Westbound I-70 at western Missouri’s Oak Grove remains closed because of the crashes.
** Snow-covered westbound I-70 in west-central Missouri’s Concordia remains closed. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) tells Missourinet at least six or seven tractor trailers crashed there, and one of them “tore open”, spilling items onto the highway.
** Snow-covered westbound Highway 54 near the Cole-Miller County line south of Jefferson City saw a pileup involving numerous vehicles today. One listener tells us about 40 vehicles were involved, while another listener says it involved hundreds of cars.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Chinn: Cold weather is a challenge for Missouri cattlemen and calves

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Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn says the cold weather has been a danger to new-born calves and other livestock. She says it’s common for farmers to take extraordinary measures to see that calves are kept as comfortable as possible.

Chris Chinn

“I’ve seen many pictures on social media here in the last two weeks of farmers bringing those new-born calves into their houses and into their bathtubs,” Chinn tells Brownfield Ag News.

Some cattlemen who are calving now find it especially hard if they don’t have barns or other livestock shelters, says Chinn.

“They have to use their hay that they’re hoping to use for feed to lay out for bedding for them to try and help keep them warm and give them a comfortable place,” she says. “So, it’s a huge challenge.”

The other challenge, according to Chinn, is driving on ice-covered roads to get feed to livestock.

By Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News for America

Nikodim: The future is bright for Missouri’s pork industry (AUDIO)

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The longtime Missouri Pork Association (MPA) leader says things are good in the pork industry. MPA Executive Vice President Don Nikodim spoke to Missourinet at this week’s Pork Expo in Columbia.

The Pork Place restaurant at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia (2017 file photo courtesy of the Missouri Pork Association)

He says the future is bright for Missouri’s pork industry.

“We’re in a growth mode, we’ve been adding a considerable number of sows to the Missouri herd and we have several underway right now,” Nikodim says. “Market prices aren’t as good as we’d like them.”

Nikodim is optimistic trade deals with Mexico and China will come to fruition, saying it would help bolster their markets considerably.

More than 800 people attended Tuesday’s Pork Expo lunch, and Nikodim says they had record attendance at the dinner and breakfast. He says the trade show sold out early this year.

Nikodim also notes more than 200 Missouri youth are involved in a show pig program. A Missourinet reporter interviewing Nikodim at the Expo saw several high school students wearing FFA jackets.

Hundreds of pork producers from across Missouri heard directly from Governor Mike Parson (R) at this week’s dinner banquet. Nikodim praises the governor.

“Great guy, I mean we supported Mike ever since he first ran for the (Missouri) House (in 2004),” says Nikodim. “I mean he’s just a down-to-earth solid kind of guy, and just proud to have somebody like that in the governor’s chair.”

Governor Parson still owns and operates a cow and calf operation near southwest Missouri’s Bolivar. Nikodim also notes Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe farms. Kehoe has a family farm in Phelps County, near I-44.

Meantime, the winter weather has been impacting Missouri’s pork producers. Nikodim notes pork producers dealt with last summer’s drought, and have been dealing with snow and ice in many parts of the state.

“They deal with weather, that’s part of the reality of being in the business,” Nikodim says. “We went from dry summer to wet fall, so it’s a challenge but it’s something these guys, they’re good at,” Nikodim says.

Nikodim has noted that the pork industry contributes $1 billion annually to the state’s economy. Governor Parson says Missouri pork producers raise more than 3.4 million hogs in the state.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Pork Association (MPA) Executive Vice President Don Nikodim, which was recorded on February 12, 2019 at Columbia’s Holiday Inn Executive Center:

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Winter weather advisories issued for much of Missouri; Kansas City expected to receive most snow (AUDIO)

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for Friday for large portions of of western, northwest and west-central Missouri. The NWS in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for all of the Ozarks, for Friday morning and afternoon.

The National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for all of the Ozarks (February 14, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Chris Gitro expects a fast-moving storm and says the Kansas City metro will likely see the highest amount of snowfall Friday.

“We’re expecting accumulations on the order of four to six inches for the Kansas City metro and surrounding areas, and by late tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and into the early evening hours the system is expected to depart pretty quickly,” Gitro says.

Snow is expected to begin falling in Kansas City at about 9 Friday morning.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for all of the Ozarks, for Friday. Lebanon, Waynesville, Warsaw, Osage Beach and the Lake of the Ozarks are expected to receive three to four inches of snow.

The NWS says Springfield is projected to receive one to two inches of snow. Most of the snow will fall across the Ozarks Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Gitro in the NWS’ Pleasant Hill office tells Missourinet that Columbia, Jefferson City and Sedalia are expected to receive about three inches of snow.

“It’s definitely looking like they’re going to be under the gun for some accumulating snowfall tomorrow as well,” says Gitro.

Northwest Missouri’s Chillicothe and St. Joseph could also see four to six inches, while the St. Louis region is projected to receive two inches. The NWS in St. Louis is warning motorists that Friday evening commute hazards are likely in the St. Louis region.

A light glaze of ice is expected Friday in southeast Missouri towns like Farmington, Perryville and Sikeston.

The cold front is already in northwest Missouri. The NWS tweeted Thursday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. that it was 31 degrees in St. Joseph, while it was 57 degrees in Lee’s Summit, which is a Kansas City suburb.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Gitro, which was recorded on February 14, 2019:

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(AUDIO) North Missouri under winter weather advisory; Ellington urges Missourians to check on the elderly

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill and St. Louis have issued winter weather advisories for virtually all of northern Missouri, until midnight tonight (Monday).

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of northern Missouri on February 11, 2019 (map courtesy of NWS St. Louis Twitter page)

The NWS says St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Edina, Kirksville, Macon, Tarkio and Trenton are expected to receive a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow on Monday evening.

The NWS says the Edina area could receive about 0.11″ of ice. Most of the other towns are expected to see minor ice and snow accumulation.

State Rep. Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, tells Missourinet the recent ice storm and snow have been very difficult on elderly residents in his Kansas City district and across the state.

“With the power outages, with the streets being filled of ice and the sidewalks being filled with ice it’s hard for them to get out and go to the grocery store,” Ellington says.

The NWS is warning that parking lots and walkways will be slick across northern Missouri, because of the wintry mix. Ellington is urging you to check on your elderly neighbors and family members.

“Please look out, take some salt or something over there and check on them,” says Ellington. “Check to see if their electricity is out.”

State Rep. Brandon Ellington (D) briefs Capitol reporters on January 28, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Ellington tells Missourinet he learned today that a Kansas City resident in a nearby legislative district fell in the ice and broke her cheek.

“I was actually just talking to Representative (State Rep. Ingrid) Burnett and she was telling me about her neighbor that literally just fell and broke her jaw, broke her cheek, excuse me, broke her cheek,” Ellington says.

Representative Ellington spoke to Missourinet Monday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, after the House Democrats held a press conference on criminal justice reform.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, which was recorded on February 11, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

 

 

Multiple winter weather advisories issued for Missouri; snow and freezing rain expected

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All three National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Missouri have issued winter weather advisories, with snow and freezing rain on the way.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

The winter weather advisories begin at midnight Sunday (tomorrow) and run through Sunday at noon.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for much of western, central and northern Missouri. The NWS says a wintry mix is expected to begin late tonight in Kansas City and St. Joseph. The northern Missouri towns of Chillicothe, Trenton and Bethany are expected to receive one to three inches of snowfall by noon Sunday, while the west-central Missouri communities of Marshall and Sedalia could see up to two inches of snow.

Northern Missouri has been slammed this winter with several large snowstorms, along with freezing temperatures. News director Tom Tingerthal at Missourinet Chillicothe affiliate KCHI (AM 1010) tells us roads are currently in good shape overall in the “Home of Sliced Bread,” but notes there are still some icy spots there.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for most of the Ozarks. The NWS in Springfield says a wintry mix is expected to begin after midnight and will start as snow/sleet, before transitioning to light freezing rain.

The Branson and West Plains areas are expected to receive about 0.10″ of ice.

Slick roads are expected across the Ozarks, and the NWS expects about one inch of snow in most areas there.

The National Weather Service in St. Louis has also issued a winter weather advisory for much of eastern and northern Missouri. The NWS says the precipitation will begin as snow late tonight in cities such as Columbia, Jefferson City, Hannibal, Moberly and Warrenton.

Snow is expected to begin falling in Columbia and Jefferson City at about midnight, and the snow is expected to change to sleet and freezing rain Sunday morning. Light accumulations of snow, sleet and ice are expected.

The snow is expected to start in the St. Louis area at about 3 a.m. Sunday.

The Columbia, Sedalia, Clinton and Lake of the Ozarks areas are also expected to receive some ice.

Tune into Saturday morning to your local Missourinet affiliate for our hourly newscasts, with updated winter weather information.

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