Sunday, January 19, 2025
After the National Weather Service issued a winter weather warning around 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 3 for multiple areas in Kansas, ice hit the areas of Kansas starting on Saturday, Jan. 4, and snow followed with some receiving 12 plus inches. High winds led to low visibility and motorists were encouraged to stay home after many accidents plagued the state of Kansas.
Low visibility, impassable conditions and extreme winter weather caused highways to close in northeastern Kansas, including I-70 east to the Missouri state line, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
I-70 was then closed in both directions from the Missouri state line in Kansas City west to the Ellsworth County line in western Kansas. Eastbound I-70 is also closed from Hays to the Missouri state line.
In addition, all highways were later closed in Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Doniphan, Riley, Pottawatomie, Jackson, Atchison, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Lyon, Osage, Douglas, Wyandotte and Johnson counties.
More closures took place in north central Kansas earlier that afternoon. Those included all highways in Washington, Clay, Geary, Dickinson, Morris, Marion, Chase, McPherson, Saline, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Ottawa, Mitchell, Republic, Cloud and Jewell counties. Additional road closures were possible as the winter storm continued to move across the state.
27 News Chief Stormtrack Meteorologist Matt Miller reported on Jan. 5 that many parts of northeast Kansas experienced high snowfall amounts during a powerful winter storm. He said snowfall totals reached a high that hasn’t been seen for more than three decades.
• Chapman – 18.0″.
• St. George – 18.0″.
• Seneca – 17.0″.
• Wamego – 17.0″.
• Abilene – 16.4″.
• McLouth – 16.0″.
• Manhattan – 15.0″.
• Lawrence – 11.0″.
• Concordia – 10”
• Topeka – 14.1 marked the fourth biggest snow of all time and the third biggest one-day snow for the capital city.
Another slight chance of snow at 20 percent is forecast for Thursday, Jan. 9. Mostly sunny skies with near temperatures of 28 degrees is forecast for Friday; Saturday sunny at near 29 degrees and Sunday mostly sunny at 29 degrees.
