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Snow preps: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson activates National Guard ahead of winter weather

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Posted at 2:38 PM, Jan 24, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-24 18:42:26-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Winter Weather Advisory begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued the advisory Monday afternoon with a dusting to 3 inches of snow possible after a period of light rain, according to the KSHB Weather Team.

Heavier snow is expected through Oklahoma, southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, but the snow could make travel conditions Wednesday morning slow and treacherous.

RELATED | KSHB Weather Daily Forecast

A change of a degree or two in the temperature could change the timing of when rain turns to snow and subsequent accumulations.

5:39 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order ahead of projected snow that is scheduled to make landfall Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

The order activates the Missouri National Guard to assist local authorities in responding to the weather, among other things.

"As always, we pray for the best but want to be prepared for the worst," Parson said. "While we hope Missourians will see little disruption due to forecasted winter weather, state government and the Missouri National Guard will be on alert to assist with response efforts if the need arises. Roadways could become increasingly hazardous, and we want to urge Missourians to be prepared and avoid traveling in poor conditions."

1:46 p.m. | Lee's Summit announced that its Public Works crews to begin treating roads and plowing as needed.

The city has scheduled crews through Friday "in the event additional plowing is required."

12:02 p.m. | The Missouri Office of Administration implemented its Hazardous Travel Policy statewide, effective at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday night.

State employees who are able to safely travel to and from work should show up, including any employees designated to provide critical services.

Those employees able to work remotely can do so with approval from a supervisor.

“We will continue to monitor the winter storm warning and will update our state team members if the Hazardous Travel Policy is extended,” the Office of Administration said via email.

10:41 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, was among the cities to put dozens of snow-removal trucks into action Tuesday morning to begin pretreating streets ahead of the expected snow event.