Live Weather Updates | Evergy crews continue chipping away at restoring power

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An overnight snowstorm in the Kansas City area is impacting snow travel and has closed dozens of school districts, businesses and other agencies.

For a full list of the latest closures, click this link.

LIVE CONDITIONS

Follow along for updates on the impact.

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10:15 p.m. | KSHB 41's Grant Stephens spoke with independent snow plow crews who were busy at work on Tuesday.

9:00 p.m. | Evergy said just before 9 p.m. that only 4,500 customer remained without power.

The company said crews would continue to work until everyone had their power restored.

7:50 p.m. | Update from Evergy: About 8,500 customers without power.

6:15 p.m. | Power outage update from Evergy: Restored power to 85% of customers affected by Monday night’s storm.

About 15,000 customers are still without power, with 5,000 in Kansas and 10,000 in Missouri.

Most of the repairs involved clearing vegetation, replacing broken power lines and fixing switches and related equipment.

Crews, with help from out-of-state power companies, are working to restore power.

5 p.m. | After this storm wraps up, what's next? KSHB 41 meteorologist Jeff Penner says one Arctic blast and two snow systems are coming within the week.

You can learn more in his weather blog.

4:45 p.m. | Overland Park streets update: All thoroughfares have been plowed and treated in Overland Park. Crews will continue to plow and treat residential streets and expect work will stretch into Wednesday morning.

The city of Olathe also said Tuesday afternoon crews will continue plowing streets overnight into Wednesday.

4:15 p.m. | The Sweet Springs R-VIII School District got creative with its announcement school was canceled Wednesday.

4 p.m. | Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, offices and services will reopen and resume on Wednesday.

Due to the extreme weather, Unified Government staff will be arriving at various UG locations at staggered times starting at 8 a.m. and fully operational by 10 a.m.

3:15 p.m. | A windy Blue Springs looked nearly blizzard-like Tuesday afternoon.

Just a beautiful day in Blue Springs… pic.twitter.com/payr5keZlG

— Cris McFarland (@Crismac1) January 9, 2024

3 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, officials are provided an update on the city's snow clean-up efforts.

Watch below:

2:27 p.m. |The Overland Park Police Department said it's responded to 21 crashes from 6 p.m Monday to 2 p.m. Tuesday.

2:25 p.m. | The Johnson County Sheriff's Office said northbound Interstate 35 is back open after a jackknifed tractor trailer caused traffic to snarl for a few hours.

2:00 p.m. | Evergy said Tuesday afternoon its crews have restored power for over 60,000 customers.

The company said about 100,000 customers lost power due to the snow storm, with the primary cause of the outages being high winds.

Roughly 35,000 customers are still without power.

11:36 a.m. | With a snow day comes plenty of winter fun! KSHB 41's Daniela Leon joined in on some sledding.

Some Chiefs fans also made the most of the wintry weather, making a snowman into the newest member of Chiefs Kingdom!

Courtesy @justintalley

11:15 a.m. | Hope Faith Homeless Alliance Campus found cases of frostbite among some individuals seeking warmth overnight.

"Days like this where it's snowing, you visibly see why what we're doing is so necessary," Langner said.

To view a list of warming centers in the KC metro, click HERE.

10 a.m. | Utility crews are working to keep up with power outages throughout the Kansas City area.

Luckily, KSHB 41 meteorologist Lindsey Anderson said bands of heavy snow are finally weakening.

The band of heavy snow is finally weakening & making its way through KC. As the snow tapers off, the wind is picking up! Wind gusts are already approaching 35-40 mph in Kansas!@kshb41 pic.twitter.com/3edQugpXa2

— Lindsey Anderson (@lnanderson) January 9, 2024

9:15 a.m. | KSHB 41 staffers are weathering the effects of the storm.

Sports reporter McKenzie Nelson says the power outage has affected her home for three hours.

Haven’t had power for 3 hours, but it is pretty out there ❄️ pic.twitter.com/Pu8qgqaqQX

— McKenzie Nelson (@McKenzieMNelson) January 9, 2024

Matt Reeb, station operations manager, posted a driveway shoveling timelapse before he made it in to work.

The fastest I have moved in a long while. Snow is wet and heavy take it easy don't have a heart attack. @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/mXIBsQ2L8p

— Matthew Reeb (@MDReeb) January 9, 2024

9 a.m. | The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports there have been 71 calls for service and 19 crashes investigated through 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Drivers are reminded to buckle up and drive slowly.

In the 8 o'clock hour, Overland Park Police Department spokesperson John Lacy provided some tips to KSHB.

For road conditions, Kansas drivers can check KanDrive for updates, Missouri drivers can check MoDOT and Kansas City Scout provides information for some areas of both states.

8:50 a.m. | KSHB 41 meteorologist Lindsey Anderson believes another inch of snow is possible as the storm tapers in the next few hours.

8:30am RADAR: Heavy snow continues to come down right over KC! The back edge has cleared Platte & Leavenworth counties this morning, tapering off in the next couple of hours. Another 1" is possible!@kshb41 pic.twitter.com/R58LWNhh48

— Lindsey Anderson (@lnanderson) January 9, 2024

In the meantime, families are out enjoying the snow as many schools canceled class due to the anticipated conditions.

Do you want build a snow man!?!? That’s what Blakley and Avery decided to do as Dad shovels in Lee’s Summit ☃️ @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/kGtqhUex0Y

— ☀️ Cassie Wilson (@CassieKSHB) January 9, 2024

8:17 a.m. | It's a wintry morning, but that isn't stopping former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali from taking a cold plunge!

Mary Hali

We've seen a lot of snowfall across the KC area, but of the places Cassie Wilson has checked out with her trusty ruler, Belton takes the cake!

8:10 a.m. | We are tracking crashes all across the Kansas City area Tuesday morning.

Traffic anchor Daisha Jones is keeping you up-to-date on where crashes are taking place.

Visibility is low in areas of the KC metro, so if you must leave home, drive with caution.

KC Scout

The Missouri Department of Transportation says a snow plow was struck earlier Tuesday morning.

Remember not to pass snow plows working to clear roads and to give crews plenty of space.

7:45 a.m. | Power outages are widespread throughout the Kansas City area and have been increasing as the morning continues.

Around 7:45 a.m., Evergy reported 939 active outages and 44,899 customers out; the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities reported 9 outages and 15 affected customers; Independence Power and Light reported 12 total outages and 79 affected customers.

View outage maps here:

• Evergy
• BPU
• Independence

7:30 a.m. | Checking in from Gardner, reporter Daniela Leon says her family estimates about 8" on the ground.

This is Gardner right now- insane amount of snow- you can’t tell where the road or sidewalks are. @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/vce54p1v60

— Daniela Leon (@danielaleontv) January 9, 2024

And up in Liberty, KSHB 41 meteorologist Wes Peery advises shovelers to lift with their legs. He learned from experience the snow is quite heavy.

3” so far in northeast Kansas City, this stuff is HEAVY!#mowx #kcwx pic.twitter.com/jZB3neiUyw

— Wes Peery (@WesWeather) January 9, 2024

7 a.m. | KSHB 41 News viewer Kaela Braswell shared a video of a falling tree in her yard due to the conditions.

As the morning goes on, road conditions are changing. Here is how things are looking right now:

KSHB

Amid the frigid conditions, Hope Faith Homeless Assistance Campus reports it sheltered 152 people overnight. The shelter says it is still open to those in need.

6:45 a.m. | Cassie Wilson is measuring 2.5 inches of snow in Platte Woods.

Cassie Wilson

One viewer spotted fallen tree limbs on 92nd Street near Mission Road in Leawood.

Provided

Despite the snow accumulation, the KC Streetcar is still running to help you get to where you need to be.

Some KSHB 41 viewers are enjoying the blankets of white the winter storm brought to the Kansas City area.

Wil Anglemyer in Lenexa captured an image of lights shining bright in the wintry morning.

Courtesy Wil Anglemyer

Shel in Raytown described the tree limbs covered in snow as a "winter wonderland."

Shel M

Jonathan Jones in Raymore saw quite a bit of snow accumulation on his deck.

Courtesy Jonathan Jones

6 a.m. | Evergy is reporting 710 outages impacting 29,040 customers as of 6 a.m. Tuesday.

You can track the latest outage information using Evergy's outage map.

With between 2-4 additional inches of snow possible Tuesday, Lindsey Anderson is projecting the storm will bring a total of 4-8 inches of snow.

You can read her Tuesday morning weather forecast for all the details.

With wintry road conditions, we're seeing a number of crashes across the KC area Tuesday morning.

KC Scout

KC Scout

KSHB 41 spoke with a Kansas Department of Transportation spokesperson to hear an update on Tuesday morning road conditions:

5:30 a.m. | KSHB meteorologist Lindsey Anderson says we are awaiting our next wave of snow, which will taper out between 2-4 p.m. Tuesday.

Reporter Daniela Leon is monitoring road conditions in Shawnee. She says the treatment from crews is helping to keep roads clear.

Daisha Jones says that road temperatures are warm enough for rock salt to be effective.

Despite help from crews, drivers are advised to take precautions and travel slowly as road conditions are slick.

KSHB 41's Jeff Penner broke down what you can expect Tuesday in his weather blog.

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