National Weather Service outlines blizzard prediction
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
424 PM CST MON JAN 31 2011
...A CRIPPLING SNOW STORM EXPECTED TO HIT THE REGION...
.A POWERFUL AND POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING STORM WILL IMPACT
OUR REGION EARLY THIS WEEK...BRINGING A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER
ALONG WITH IT. MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS...MAKING FOR DANGEROUS TRAVEL IN THE
REGION.
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST TUESDAY...
...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TUESDAY TO 6 AM
CST WEDNESDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR MIXED PRECIPITATION REMAINS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 6 AM CST TUESDAY. A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND HIGH
WINDS REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TUESDAY TO 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY.
* LOCATIONS...KANSAS CITY AND SURROUNDINGS AREAS INCLUDING
OLATHE...PLATTE CITY...LEAVENWORTH...LIBERTY...LEES SUMMIT AND
RAYMORE.
* TIMING...PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE KANSAS
CITY METROPOLITAN AREA INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. AFTER A BRIEF
LULL IN PRECIPITATION...LIGHT SNOW MAY DEVELOP TOWARDS MIDNIGHT.
HEAVY SNOW WILL THEN OVERSPREAD THE AREA TUESDAY MORNING. THE SNOW
WILL TAPER OFF LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND END WEDNESDAY MORNING.
* SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS...A LIGHT GLAZE OF ICE WILL
CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING. SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN 8 AND 14 INCHES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH
WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS IN THE
SOUTHEAST SUBURBS.
* IMPACTS...UNTREATED ROADWAYS AND SIDEWALKS WILL REMAIN SLICK
DUE TO FREEZING DRIZZLE. ONCE SNOW ARRIVES LATE TONIGHT AND
TUESDAY MORNING...ROADS WILL RAPIDLY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND
TRAVEL WILL BE DANGEROUS IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. THIS STORM HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO BRING TRAVEL TO A HALT OVER MUCH OF KANSAS AND
MISSOURI TUESDAY THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY.
* OTHER IMPACTS...STRONG WINDS BETWEEN 25 AND 40 MPH WILL
OVERSPREAD THE REGION ON TUESDAY...CREATING SIGNIFICANT
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ALONG WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS
THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE
ON ALL MAJOR ROADWAYS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THE STRONG
WINDS MAY ALSO LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES... WHICH WOULD PRODUCE
IMPACTS LONG AFTER THE SNOW HAS ENDED AS TEMPERATURES FALL TO
BELOW ZERO BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IF
YOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET
STRANDED...STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.
PRACTICE YOUR WINTER SAFETY RULES...KEEP A FLASHLIGHT...SHOVEL...
FOOD AND WATER IN YOUR CAR IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. TRAVEL ON
TUESDAY SHOULD BE AVOIDED AS PERSONS COULD BECOME STRANDED
RESULTING IN A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION.
IN CASE OF POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES...PERSONS ARE URGED TO ENSURE
AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF FOOD AND MEDICATION...AS WELL AS HAVING AN
ALTERNATIVE HEAT SUPPLY READY. DO NOT RUN GENERATORS INDOORS TO
PREVENT CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. PROTECT YOUR WATER SUPPLY FROM
FROZEN PIPES.
