KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Metro residents braced themselves for another winter storm Wednesday morning ahead of an Arctic blast expected to hit Kansas City.
Snow moved into the area during the morning commute and should continue throughout the day, with accumulations between 1-4 inches possible.
The area is under a winter weather advisory from noon to midnight Wednesday, and under a wind chill advisory from midnight to noon Thursday.
Temperatures are expected to drop near zero when an Arctic blast moves into the area Wednesday night.
Crews were out treating roads early Wednesday morning to prepare for the first flakes of snow.
I’m riding along with @cityofLS which started pre-treating roads with rock salt at about 3 a.m. today to get ahead of the snow. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/xfv7Z7kYFD
— Charlie Keegan (@CharlieKeegan41) February 12, 2020
The Missouri Department of Transportation said Tuesday that 200 trucks would be on the road to keep drivers safe.
Kansas City, Missouri, officials said their crews would focus on bridges and overpasses overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, then focus on major streets Wednesday before treating residential areas.
In Lee’s Summit, Missouri, plow drivers started work at about 3 a.m. Wednesday. They started treating main thoroughfares with rock salt and then moved on to secondary or connector streets by 7 a.m.
“We have to take care of them and make sure they are safe to travel,” explained Nick Scott, an apprentice operator.
He said once crews complete the connector routes, everyone in the city will be within less than one mile to a treated road. Residential roads are the last to be treated.
Crews in the city are working 12-hour shifts to fight the snow as it falls.
"We're going to start dropping our plows when it gets to half an inch to three-quarters of an inch on the road and we'll have trucks working 24 hours until Saturday, or until we meet the objective of getting everything cleared off," Scott pointed out.
