winter weather advisory Archives

UPDATE: New Year’s Day winter storm could bring half-inch of ice to portions of Missouri (AUDIO)

January 1, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) is urging most Missourians to avoid traveling most of New Year’s Day, as a major winter storm approaches from the south.

The National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Pleasant Hill and Springfield have issued winter storm warnings for large parts of Missouri (December 31, 2020 map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha says Kansas City, Columbia, Jefferson City, Chillicothe, Moberly and Marshall will be under a winter storm warning starting at midnight, January 1st.

“Generally along that Butler to Sedalia to Moberly line, including Columbia, Jefferson City and some areas south of there … could see a quarter-of-an-inch all the way up to perhaps a half-an-inch of ice accumulation,” Pietrycha says.

Mid-Missouri’s Boonville and northeast Missouri’s Hannibal are also included in the warning area.

“If you don’t need to travel, please don’t. Conditions are going to deteriorate very rapidly tomorrow (New Year’s Day) morning especially,” says Pietrycha.

Many other parts of Missouri will be under a winter weather advisory. Northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph and Trenton are in the advisory area.

“We’re looking at about one to three inches (of snow), possibly some people on the south side of St. Joe (St. Joseph), down towards the Kansas City area would see a little bit higher snowfall,” Pietrycha says.

Meantime, the NWS Springfield office says southwest Missouri’s Lebanon and Bolivar could see up to a half-inch of ice. Waynesville, which is near Fort Leonard Wood, could get a quarter-of-an-inch of ice.

Those areas are all under a winter storm warning, along with Osage Beach.

The NWS Springfield office is urging residents across the Ozarks to be prepared for the loss of power.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha, which was recorded on December 31, 2020:

Far northwest and northern Missouri under winter storm warning until 6 am Wednesday (AUDIO)

December 29, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 o’clock on Wednesday morning in northwest and far northern Missouri. Impacted towns include St. Joseph, Bethany, Maryville and Trenton, as well as numerous farming communities in that region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter storm warning and a separate winter weather advisory for large parts of northern Missouri (December 29, 2020 graphic courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Spencer Mell says there’s four inches of snow on the ground in Atchison County, which is on the border with Iowa and Nebraska.

“We’re seeing a lot of this transition from a snow scenario over to sleet and even some freezing rain. We did see anywhere from one to four inches (of snow) across those areas this morning,” Mell says.

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says most roadways in northern Missouri are covered with snow or some ice. They’re urging north Missourians to stay at home if possible, and to use extreme caution if driving.

Our Bethany affiliate KAAN reports about an inch of snow on the ground, along with sleet this afternoon.

Meantime, a large section of western, northern and northeast Missouri remains under a winter weather advisory until 6 o’clock Tuesday evening. Impacted cities include Kansas City, Marshall and Chillicothe.

Meteorologist Mell says those communities are also seeing some ice.

“Right now we’re hovering right around freezing, so we’re still seeing a little bit of light freezing rain. Expect that to continue here through the afternoon, I think most of those areas have seen the worst of it,” says Mell.

MoDOT Kansas City crews are urging residents in the Kansas City metro and in western Missouri to stay alert, to brake carefully and to stay home, if possible. Mell notes there’s been freezing rain today near Lee’s Summit, as well as Raymore and Pleasant Hill.

“It’s really just a sheet of ice out there so fortunately, MoDOT has got out there and treated some of these roads, but some of this freezing rain came pretty quick,” Mell says.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is also urging you to slow down, in winter weather. Troopers say that during inclement weather, driving the speed limit is often too fast and not “exercising the highest degree of care.”

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Spencer Mell, which was recorded on December 29, 2020:

Expect transition tonight between snow and freezing drizzle in parts of western and mid-Missouri (AUDIO)

October 26, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) may extend the winter weather advisory for northwest, western and west-central Missouri, which is currently in effect until 1 a.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory until 1 a.m. Tuesday (October 26, 2020 maps courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair says elevated areas like bridges will see the most accumulation.

“We’ll continue to monitor that and see if there’s any changes that we might need to extend that for, at least the very worst of it is going to be between now and the early morning hours on Tuesday,” Blair says.

A line between Kansas City, Marshall and Moberly is expected to see one to two inches of snow. About 1.5 inches of snow have already fallen in Pleasant Hill.

Since 2 a.m. Monday, Kansas City Police have responded to about 100 injury crashes involving snow, and to another 46 non-injury crashes. Kansas City Police are urging motorists to slow down.

Mr. Blair says three inches of snow is possible by tonight in western Missouri’s Warrensburg and Belton.

Meantime, freezing drizzle and icy conditions are possible tonight into Tuesday morning in western, west-central and mid-Missouri. Blair says Kansas City, Marshall, Sedalia, Columbia and Jefferson City could be impacted.

“As the snow begins to wrap up towards this evening, we’re going to see a transition between snow and some freezing drizzle, some light glazing possible in those areas you mentioned,” says Blair.

Western Missouri’s Nevada and Clinton could also be impacted.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair, which was recorded on October 26, 2020:

Winter weather advisories and flood watch in effect for different parts of Missouri (AUDIO)

February 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for west-central, central and northeast Missouri until midnight. Far northwest Missouri, the Ozarks and southeast Missouri’s Bootheel are not included in the winter weather advisory.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter weather advisory for west-central, mid and northeast Missouri (February 12, 2020 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

Cities and towns in the impacted advisory areas include Sedalia, Marshall, Columbia, Jefferson City and Hannibal. National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair says light to moderate snow has been falling in those areas.

“And that corridor is going to be under the gun for accumulating snowfall, with a lot of wet, slushy snowfall accumulating up to two to four inches by the time all is said and done later on this evening,” Blair says.

Blair tells Missourinet snow totals will be higher on elevated and grassy surfaces. He’s urging motorists in the advisory areas to avoid the roads, if possible.

“But if you do have to venture out, reduce your speed, use those headlights and take extra precautions as you’re driving,” says Blair.

Northeast Missouri’s Hannibal and Louisiana could see up to four inches of snow.

Blair is urging mid-Missourians to have extra coats, hats and gloves on-hand, with frigid Arctic air coming in behind the snowfall. He says the temperatures will quickly fall.

“After the snow does move out later on tonight, we’re going to be looking at some bitterly cold temperatures moving in with temperatures dropping down potentially into the single digits across portions of central Missouri,” Blair says.

Meantime, heavy rain is the biggest issue in southern Missouri. The NWS Springfield office says West Plains, Sikeston and Dexter are under a flood watch, and ponding of roadways is possible.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair, which was recorded on February 12, 2020:

Winter storm expected to impact Chiefs parade and much of Missouri (AUDIO)

February 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) says most of Missouri is currently under a winter weather advisory, and will see two waves of winter weather by Thursday morning.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill says the heaviest snowfall will be between the I-44 corridor and the Highway 36 corridor in north Missouri (February 4, 2020 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

NWS Kansas City meteorologist Jimmy Barham says most of the snow will be between the I-44 corridor up to the Highway 36 corridor in northern Missouri.

“The more significant snowstorm looks like it’s going to push in as we get into the morning hours tomorrow, especially down towards Springfield,” Barham says. “We’re going to see snow totals even by the afternoon up into the one to three inch range.”

He says winter storm watches and winter storm warnings will likely be issued.

Western Missouri’s Kansas City, Warrensburg and Sedalia are currently receiving snow now, after seeing freezing drizzle earlier.

The second wave will have the heaviest impact on mid-Missouri’s Columbia, Jefferson City and Lake of the Ozarks, which could receive up to six inches of snow.

Mr. Barham tells Missourinet the snow will likely impact Chiefs fans at Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade and rally in downtown Kansas City.

“Going into the parade might not be too bad, but coming out of the parade you’re probably going to have hazardous travel conditions,” says Barham. “Especially if you’re going east past Sedalia into the Columbia towards St. Louis area.”

Wednesday morning’s parade begins at 11:30, and the victory rally is set for 1:30 p.m. at Union Station. The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is expecting “hundreds of thousands” of fans to attend.

Barham emphasizes that Wednesday’s second wave, which is coming from Oklahoma, will be stronger.

The latest NWS models also show a heavy band near I-70 on Wednesday, between Kingdom City and Montgomery County. That area could see up to eight inches of snow.

Southwest Missouri’s Springfield, Joplin and Nevada should see four to six inches of snow, by early Thursday. Northeast Missouri’s Hannibal and Bowling Green could also see up to six inches.

Far southeast Missouri is the only area that’s not expected to see snow.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Jimmy Barham, which was recorded on February 4, 2020:

Winter weather advisories and watches issued for Missouri; Chiefs fans urged to be cautious

December 14, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory and a winter storm watch for much of Missouri, with a winter storm on the way.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued winter weather advisories and watches for much of Missouri (December 14, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

The NWS’ winter weather advisory takes effect Sunday morning and goes through Monday night for a large portion of western and southwest Missouri. The advisory includes Kansas City, St. Joseph, Sedalia, Clinton and Waynesville.

A winter storm watch will go into effect Sunday at noon through Monday night. The watch area includes Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Mexico, Kirksville and Macon.

The newest forecast from NWS in Pleasant Hill indicates the Columbia and Jefferson City areas could see higher snow totals than originally thought, with three to five inches now possible. Moberly, which is about 35 miles north of Columbia, could see almost six inches of snow.

The Kansas City metro area and I-70 communities like Concordia and Odessa should see about five inches of snow, by Monday.

National Weather Service Pleasant Hill meteorologist Spencer Mell has been urging you to get a full tank of gasoline for your vehicle, before the storm hits. He’s also urging you to pack a winter weather kit in your car and to charge your cell phone.

Meantime, the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has been treating roads and bridges in advance of the storm. MoDOT is urging motorists heading to Sunday’s Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to use extreme caution. Kickoff for Sunday’s Chiefs-Denver game at Arrowhead will begin at noon, and MoDOT says travel after the game will be more challenging that travel to the game.

MoDOT is also recommending that people delay their Monday morning commute, as the complex weather system has the potential to produce ice accumulations in some areas. MoDOT notes freezing rain and ice is expected to move into northwest Missouri early Monday morning.

You can check road conditions anytime at MoDOT’s traveler information map. Those without internet access or who want additional information can call the MoDOT customer service center anytime. That number is 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636). You can call it 24-7, 365 days a year.

Winter weather advisory issued for far northwest Missouri on Thanksgiving night (AUDIO)

November 28, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for far northwest Missouri for Thanksgiving evening, through Friday morning at 9.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for northwest Missouri’s Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, Andrew, Worth, Gentry and Harrison counties (November 28, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Scott Blair says towns like Maryville, Rockport and Bethany will likely see a wintry mix and small ice pellets today, before the advisory kicks in at 6 pm.

“The real concern for northwest Missouri is going to come after dark, and during the overnight hours that’s when we’re going to look at temperatures kind of cool back down to about anywhere from 30, 31 degrees,” Blair says.

The winter weather advisory covers seven counties: Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, Andrew, Worth, Gentry and Harrison. It includes towns like Tarkio, Mound City, Savannah and Grant City.

Blair is urging Thanksgiving Day travelers using I-29 to be cautious, as well as drivers across those seven rural counties.

“What we’re concerned about up there is just the potential for at least some slick spots, secondary roadways potentially having a light glaze of ice,” says Blair.

The NWS warns that untreated roads will become hazardous, and Blair recommends taking it slow, if you have to drive in that area.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair, which was recorded on November 28, 2019:

Winter weather continues in north Missouri; freeze warning on Halloween in northern and mid-Missouri (AUDIO)

October 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service’s (NWS) winter weather advisory for northern Missouri continues through Thursday morning. NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Joey Welsh says northeast Missouri towns like Kirksville, Shelbyville and Edina will see the heaviest snowfall.

October 30, 2019 map courtesy of National Weather Service (NWS) St. Louis Twitter page

“Kind of in that bulls eye area is northeast Missouri and they’re expecting one-and-a-half to two inches through tomorrow morning,” Welsh says.

While central Missouri is not in the advisory, NWS meteorologist Joey Welsh says Columbia and Jefferson City could see hazardous travel conditions Wednesday evening.

“Jefferson City and surrounding areas will see the potential for some wintry mix and maybe some very light ice accumulations,” says Welsh.

Welsh says the wintry mix will begin tonight at about 6 in Jefferson City, Columbia and Sedalia, before changing to all snow by about 9 p.m. He urges motorists in central Missouri to slow down and to give themselves extra time.

Meantime, the NWS in Pleasant Hill has issued a freeze warning for Halloween throughout northern and central Missouri. Welsh warns of rapidly falling temperatures, as snow continues to fall in north Missouri and mid-Missouri sees the wintry mix tonight.

“We’ll drop down to the 20’s tonight and, combined with the winds, we’ll see wind chill values in the teens even for Jefferson City and surrounding areas,” Welsh says.

Stay tuned to Missourinet and to your local radio affiliate for winter weather coverage.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Joey Welsh, which was recorded on October 30, 2019: