Wichita, Sedgwick County detail plans, list safety measures ahead of winter storm

Workers started pretreating Wichita roads Wednesday to prepare for the severe winter weather expected to hit the state and many others on Friday.

Officials in Wichita and Sedgwick County on Thursday issued warnings and listed safety measures for residents to take.

The main message was for people to stay home and inside.

The Wichita area is forecast to see between 5 and 10 inches of snow from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning and negative wind chills starting Friday morning and until Monday morning.

“We are extremely concerned about the cold weather and making sure people understand that this is a dangerous situation, and we need people to be protected,” Julie Stimson, director of Sedgwick County Emergency Management, said during a Thursday news conference, where other Sedgwick County first responders spoke as well.

Wichita and Sedgwick County officials said the snow crews will focus first on major streets.

“We are anticipating that we are going to end up with snow packed roads,” Sedgwick County director of public works Lynn Packer said.

Snow removal crews in Wichita and Sedgwick County will be running two, 12-hour shifts until roads are cleared.

“With the drastically low temperatures, the city expects snow to linger into next week,” Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said.

Snow removal in Wichita can be tracked here.

People are urged to stay home. If you need to travel, make sure you have an emergency kit in your vehicle, which includes jumper cables, flashlight, batteries, a phone charger and kitty litter to help you get unstuck, Stimson said.

Extra layers and even a blanket should be in the kit as well.

And, for those staying inside, tips from fire officials in Wichita and Sedgwick County included: having a space heater on only when you are in the room and keeping it at least 3 feet from your bedding or anything that could catch fire, and not using your stove to try and heat your house.

The cold temperatures are expected to keep the snow light and fluffy, which bodes well for not sticking to power lines, reducing concerns for power outages, but does cause visibility issues for drivers from the potential of blowing snow.

Second Light, the largest emergency winter shelter in Wichita, is preparing for a surge of people who are homeless seeking shelter. They can house about 390 people short-term.

“It’s not going to be ideal,” Second Light executive director Dan Clifford said. “It’s not exactly what we want, but the thing is that they are inside from the elements, they’re not going to be cold, they’re not going to freeze to death. We’ll have food for them. We’ll have facilities for them to use. None of this is ideal, but this is our community’s response of how we are going to save lives, and that is what we are going to do.”

The shelter is at the former Park Elementary School, 1025 N. Main. Homeless residents with animals are able to leave their pet at the Wichita Animal Shelter for up three days, the city said.

This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 1:18 PM.