Decade’s Record-Breaking Snowstorm Set to Blanket Kansas and Missouri, Affecting Millions!

A National Weather Service map depicts the forecasted trajectory of a significant winter storm system extending 1,300 miles across the central United States on Saturday. Image Credit: National Weather Service

The storm will strike millions of individuals, leading to challenging travel circumstances and potential outages of power. As of midday Saturday, there were weather warnings issued in 32 states, including advisories, watches, or alerts.

In a late afternoon announcement, the National Weather Service cautioned that “whiteout” blizzard conditions with up to 15 inches of snow—the heaviest snowfall in a decade—were expected for parts of Kansas and Missouri on Sunday.

Travel in these regions will be “extremely perilous,” with “impassable roads” leading to the likelihood of drivers being stranded, according to meteorologists.

Simultaneously, a vast band of snowfall, accumulating between 8 inches and 14 inches, is forecast to stretch from northeast Missouri through the Central Appalachians. To the south of that, a “major stripe” of freezing rain traveling east from central Kansas will coat roads with ice, causing “long-lasting” power disruptions.

The icy conditions are projected to advance into the central Appalachian Mountains overnight Sunday.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin have both proclaimed a state of emergency.

The NWS indicated that heavy snowfall could impact certain areas to the north, particularly those located north of Interstate 70 within the northern High Plains and Central Plains.

The NWS in Topeka on X.com urged individuals to “please remain at home. Reports of icy roads and accidents throughout Kansas are escalating quickly. Surfaces are becoming exceedingly slick—such as roadways, porches, and stairs. Falls could necessitate needing assistance. This is just the ice folks; the snow is yet to arrive.”

Kansas City International Airport closed Saturday afternoon due to rapid ice build-up, causing the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs to be unable to depart for Denver for their Sunday matchup against the Broncos.

In an update released at 5:22 p.m. CST, airport officials announced that crews had “successfully treated airfield surfaces as well as the runways and taxiways,” allowing flight operations to recommence.

“Efforts will continue overnight to maintain a clear airfield,” they informed.

Heavy snow is anticipated from the Central Plains to the Ohio Valley on Sunday and substantial lake-effect snow along the windward regions near Lake Ontario on Saturday.

Wind gusts reaching 35 mph combined with heavy snow could result in blizzard-like conditions over the Central Plains.

A low-pressure system positioned over the southern High Plains on Saturday will move eastward into the Ohio Valley by Monday, causing disruptions in local travel due to winter weather from Saturday through Monday.

Certain areas of the lower Mississippi Valley may experience severe thunderstorms on Sunday.

The northern Mid-Atlantic could also witness moderate to heavy snowfall developing overnight from Sunday into Monday.

The storm system will advance into the lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday, increasing the chances of severe thunderstorms through Monday morning.

Cold air will flow over the Great Lakes and into the Northeast, instigating moderate to heavy lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes as well as sloped areas in the central Appalachians on Saturday and Sunday.

Temperatures are predicted to range from single digits to teens in the Plains and Midwest, whereas 20s to 30s are forecast for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, reported NBC News.

Overnight temperatures may plunge to as low as -20 degrees, with wind chill factors around -40 degrees in the northern Plains.