Snow, freezing temperatures means slippery roads for some Wichitans
Wichitans who work or go to school in-person during the coronavirus pandemic should expect wintry weather Monday morning.
“Plan on slippery road conditions,” the National Weather Service said in a winter weather advisory. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.”
The advisory from NWS Wichita, issued Sunday morning, warns of a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain predicted for portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Affected areas of the NWS Wichita service area include Marion, Chase, Reno, Harvey, Butler, Greenwood, Kingman, Sedgwick, Harper and Sumner counties.
The prediction calls for up to 2 inches of snow and sleet, as well as up to one-tenth of an inch of ice. Wind chills will approach single digits in some areas early Monday morning.
The advisory runs from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, though the cold weather is expected to continue after that.
“Falling temperatures will lead to a hard freeze for most locations by Monday night,” meteorologists wrote. “Persons with cold sensitive plants should take precautions now.”
The NWS hazardous weather outlook calls for “a widespread killing freeze” Monday and Tuesday nights, as well as “periodic chances of a wintry mix” across the region from Tuesday through early Thursday.
In Wichita, the NWS forecast calls for an 80% chance of precipitation overnight Sunday to Monday with a low temperature around 27 degrees and wind gusts of up to 26 mph. The chance of a wintry mix of precipitation continues through Monday afternoon, when the high will be around 28 degrees.
Precipitation chances drop to 20% by Monday night, followed by 40% for Tuesday.
The forecast was current as of Sunday afternoon.
Monday has the potential for record-breaking snowfall in the city. The Oct. 26 record for most snow accumulation is half an inch, set in 1913. An NWS map showed 1 to 2 inches of snow and sleet are expected in Wichita.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 3:17 PM.