Storm warnings expire; MoDOT, KDOT issue caution for overnight, Monday AM travel

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While the Kansas City region is clear of storm warnings, crews will need plenty of time to plow snow. Oh, and it's going to get real cold.

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11 p.m. | Here's the latest update from KSHB 41 Weather's Wes Peery.

10:20 p.m. | The Kansas City VA Medical Center and all associated Community-Based Outpatient Clinics will have a two-hour operational delay on January 6th, with full operations expected by 10 a.m., according to a news release from the VA Medical Center.

10:13 p.m. | Leawood city offices and the city's Municipal Court will be closed Monday.

The city council will have a virtual meeting.
The meeting will be on the city's YouTube page.

9:03 p.m. | City of Olathe Snow Removal Update

• Nearly 140 workers are currently on 24/7 snow removal operations with the main focus on major roadways and collector streets to maintain emergency routes, according to a news release from the city.
• Traveling conditions are still considered dangerous and residents are asked to remain home, if possible.

The city will offer services online at OlatheKS.gov [olatheks.gov], OlatheKS.gov/OlatheConnect [olatheks.gov], or by calling customer service at 913-971-9311.

The Olathe Community Center, both branches of the Olathe Public Library, and Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm will be closed Monday.
 
Olathe Municipal Court will be closed Monday. All Olathe Municipal Court cases scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6, will be continued. Defendants and attorneys will be notified on Tuesday of their new court dates.

No trash and recycling pick up Monday. Customers will have their normal collection day delayed by a day through Saturday, Jan. 11, according to the city's news release.

The Household Hazardous Waste ReStore, Olathe Community Recycling Center, and Transfer Station will be closed Monday.

Crews are solely focusing on arterial and secondary roads for emergency response. Once progress has been made, crews will resume normal plowing operations.

The release says residents can City of Olathe plows live using the Snowplow Map and receive updates at OlatheKS.gov/snOlathe.

7:24 p.m. | The city of Overland Park announced the following city facilities will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6:

• City Hall
• Myron E. Scafe Building
• Overland Park Municipal Court
• Matt Ross Community Center
• Tomahawk Ridge Community Center
• Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens and LongHouse Visitor Center
• St. Andrews Golf Club
• Sykes/Lady Overland Park Golf Club
• Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex

In addition, the Committee of the Whole and city council meetings scheduled for Monday night will be rescheduled until Monday, Jan. 13.
Residents are encouraged to use online systems for non-urgent city business. Staff will continue to monitor OPCares for weather-related requests.

7:12 p.m. | Keep track of snow-clearing progress across the Kansas City area after a winter storm left inches of snow across the city on our Snow Plow Progress page.

7:05 p.m. | The city of Independence provided an update on what city services will be available on Monday, Jan. 6:

• City Hall will be open to the public on Monday, January 6, 2025 — with limited staffing. Much of the non-essential staff will work remotely;
• Municipal Court is canceled for Monday, Jan. 6, 2025;
• Parks buildings (the Sermon Center, the Palmer Center, the National Frontier Trails Museum, and the Truman Memorial Building) will be closed;
• Independence IRIS and RideKC Freedom Paratransit will resume operations at 10 am Monday morning, road conditions permitting;
• The City Council meeting will be held virtually Monday night, via Teams.  The public can watch it live on City7 or on the city's YouTube Channel [youtube.com]

6:43 p.m. | Blue Springs announced Sunday that all city offices, including the Carson Ross Community Recreation Complex, will be closed Monday due to the inclement weather.

The Blue Springs City Council meeting has been postponed from Monday to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, a city spokesperson told KSHB 41 News.

The city’s snow plows remain in plow-and-salt mode and are beginning a second pass along primary and secondary routes, which have become snowpacked again after the initial plowing.

The goal is ensure emergency vehicles can travel safely and plowing of residential routes will begin after the current round of plowing is complete.

6:40 p.m. | The city of Grandview announced the following city facilities will be closed:

• Grandview City Hall
• Grandview DMV
• The View Community Center
• Police department records office

6:35 p.m. | The Lawrence Police Department, like other law enforcement agencies, reported getting stuck while responding to calls.

The department once again urged to people to stay home.

6:05 p.m. | Officials in Kansas have issued an emergency alert to smart phones urging people to remain home.

KSHB

5:27 p.m. | Johnson County Government buildings and offices closed on Monday, Jan. 6.

Employees who perform non-essential work should work remotely if able.

County residents can utilize online services at www.jocogov.org or call 913-715-5000.

Johnson County Libraries will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6

Johnson County Park and Recreation District: In addition to buildings and offices, all JCPRD parks and trails are closed.

Johnson County District Courts: All in-person jury trials are canceled. All scheduled hearings will be conducted via Zoom.

Johnson County Mental Health Center: Transportation services are canceled for Monday, Jan. 6.

Johnson County Transit riders should prepare for possible additional delays or cancellations and are strongly encouraged to sign up for updates via RideKC Notify [ridekc.org]): 

5:13 p.m. | Similar to KDOT, the Missouri Department of Transportation also urged drivers to stay off the roads into Monday.

"Motorists in the areas of snow and ice accumulation cannot let their guards down once this precipitation ends," MoDOT Chief Safety and Operations Officer Becky Allmeroth said. "It’s going to take our crews most of Monday to get major routes in these impacted areas back to good condition, so we need people to continue to avoid traveling."

4:57 p.m. | The Kansas Department of Transportation has issued a statewide advisory, urging people to not travel unless it's an emergency.

KDOT especially urged those in northeast and north central Kansas to not travel as blizzard conditions continue.

State highways in Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Doniphan, Riley, Pottawatomie, Jackson, Atchison, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Douglas, Johnson, Lyon, Osage, Jewell, Republic, Washington, Mitchell, Cloud, Clay, Lincoln, Ottawa, Ellsworth, Saline, Dickinson, Geary, Morris, McPherson, Marion and Chases counties are closed, including I-70.

"This is a major, statewide winter weather event," KDOT Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed said in a release. "We appreciate the cooperation of the public in staying off the roads so our crews can focus on reopening routes as quickly and as safely as possible. KDOT is out in force working diligently in these challenging conditions."

4:47 p.m. | The Olathe Police Department is urging residents to stay off the roads.

Some officers have gotten stuck while responding to accidents and calls.

4:30 p.m. | With ongoing blizzard conditions, we checked with area grocery stores to get an idea of who is open and closed.

A Price Chopper spokesperson said they made the decision to close their stores for the remainder of Sunday for their employees’ safety.

A spokesperson for Hy-Vee said all stores are open and operating normally.

4:25 p.m. | Power outage updates:

• Evergy: 1,990
• BPU: 7
• Clay-Platte: 1
• Independence Power & Light: 0

4:00 p.m. | KSHB 41's Wes Peery is live with the latest conditions on the ongoing winter storm. Watch below:

3:25 p.m. | All highways in northeastern Kansas are closed due to "low visibility, impassable conditions and extreme winter weather," the Kansas Department of Transportation shared Sunday afternoon.

Interstate 70 is closed from Hay, Kansas, to the Missouri state line.

KSHB 41

2:42 p.m. | The Piper Unified School District crafted a unique announcement for social media to share that all facilities will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6, due to the winter storm.

2:37 p.m. | KSHB 41 meteorologist Jeff Penner captured footage of the second half of the snowstorm blowing through south Overland Park.

2:25 p.m. | The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team will not return home after facing UCF Sunday afternoon, the team told KSHB 41.

2:10 p.m. | A spokesperson for the Mizzou Tigers confirmed Sunday the men's basketball team has yet to return to Columbia.

The team's plane left Columbus, Georgia, Saturday after the MU Tigers played the Auburn Tigers. On the way home, the plane was diverted to St. Louis.

"We have not returned yet as we are still waiting until we know it's safe," the spokesperson shared. "No time has been finalized on if we'll return today or tomorrow."

1:43 p.m. | Officials with Kansas City, Missouri, provided an update at 1 p.m. on the city's emergency operations as crews continue snow removal efforts. Watch below.

12:14 p.m. | Multiple school districts in the Kansas City area have already announced classes are canceled or are going virtual Monday.

Olathe, Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission school districts will not have class. Park Hill is planning for an AMI learning day.

A full list of closings can be found here.

12 p.m. | Reporter Ryan Gamboa kept his eyes on Missouri roads Sunday morning. The city of Kansas City, Missouri, will provide an update on conditions at 1 p.m.

11:57 a.m. | Around 10:10 a.m., KSHB's Olivia Acree provided a live look from the Country Club Plaza. She said she was moving with caution as she found a few slick spots beneath the snow.

11:30 a.m. | KSHB 41 meteorologist Jeff Penner provided an update on weather conditions at 11 a.m. Watch below.

11:05 a.m. | KSHB 41’s Elyse Schoenig has been keeping track of passengers and flights at KMCI over the last 16 hours. She found a pair of passengers trying to make the most of the delays.

10:45 a.m. | An airport official confirmed to KSHB 41 that no major airlines will be flying in or out of Kansas City on Sunday.

The KCI flight information board shows all arriving and departing flights through late afternoon Sunday as calceled.

10:35 a.m. | We're starting to see some impacts for Monday as part of the snowstorm.

There will be no trash collected in Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday. The city says the collection will be delayed by a day. Bulky item pickup appointments have been canceled for the week.

The story is the same in Olathe, where trash collection will be pushed back a day this week due to Monday's conditions.

10:27 a.m. | Thundersnow ASMR courtesy of Scott Blair, of NWS KC.

9:54 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas is urging residents to stay home due to road conditions.

For those who must leave, he said it is important to remember to not pass snow plows and to give them plenty of space.

The city plans to provide another update at 1 p.m.

9:52 a.m. | While some later flights appear to be on time, the majority of morning flights at KCI remain canceled.

9:17 a.m. | A lightning strike was reported in downtown KC around 7:45 a.m., according to NWS KC. Meteorologist Jeff Penner says thundersnow can produce snow up to 2"-3" per hour.

8:59 a.m. | The KSHB 41 Weather team says Sunday's snow could make history. The last time the area saw more than 10" was 32 years ago.

8:36 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, City Manager Brian Platt said there have been "no major issues" as crews work to clear roads.

However, he did warn accumulation was piling up fast in the River Market as he circled back to an area that had recently been cleared and was already covered in a new layer.

8:15 a.m. | Updates on road conditions from the Missouri State Highway Patrol can be obtained by calling 888-275-6636.

MSHP's *55 number is the patrol's dedicated emergency line only.

7:50 a.m. | According to the National Weather Service of Kansas City, thundersnow was afoot early in south Kansas City.

7:29 a.m. | KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez said snow is accumulating quickly on streets due to blizzard-like conditions.

7:19 a.m. | Travelers are advised to keep tabs on https://flykc.com/flight-information for updates on flights out of the Kansas City International Airport. Many flights appear to be canceled through the morning into the early afternoon.

6:50 a.m. | Snow plows across Kansas City were out on the roads early Sunday morning helping to battle our ongoing winter storm. Here’s a crew working I-35 in Johnson County earlier this morning.

6:45 a.m. | KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa noted roads may seem more favorable due to snow cover but ice still lies beneath.

6:41 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, crews are working to treat roads as snow blankets the area.

6:18 a.m. | KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez reported low visibility from Shawnee Mission Parkway shortly after 6 a.m.

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