Winter storm ramps up Monday night

By Meteorologist Jared Shelton

Winter weather alerts remain in place across Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas as an impactful snowfall event continues Monday night and into Tuesday. Here’s the latest on expected conditions:

WINTER STORM WARNING 9 A.M. MONDAY THROUGH 6 P.M. TUESDAY: Issued for locations along and north of Interstate 70 including Kansas City and St. Joseph where 4 to 11 inches of snow and 45 mph wind gusts are possible. The heaviest snowfall totals are expected along and north of Highway 36 where 6-plus inches of accumulation will be most common. Snowfall totals of 4-7 inches are forecast for the St. Joseph area by early Tuesday afternoon.

CONDITIONS: Light snow and marginally freezing temperatures have kept heavy snow accumulations at bay so far, with most areas receiving a dusting to a few inches as of the evening. Dropping temperatures and periods of moderate to heavy snow are expected to develop after midnight, along with wind gusts of up to 45 mph. High snowfall rates and gusty winds will make travel increasingly hazardous overnight and into Tuesday morning before conditions begin improving late Tuesday afternoon.

UNCERTAINTY: The exact track of this system will determine when temperatures drop well below freezing, which will have implications on snow totals overall. A shift in the track a bit further north would prolong periods of rain mixing with snow and ultimately limit snowfall totals locally, bringing the heaviest snow closer to the Missouri-Iowa border. If the system tracks further south, there is the potential for heavier totals extending to the I-70 corridor.

BOTTOM LINE: Hazardous travel conditions are developing across Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas on Monday evening and will continue to deteriorate through Tuesday morning.