Snow, freezing cold moves into Kansas City overnight. Here’s what to expect in metro

A snowstorm is threatening to make Kansas City look more like winter than spring as slushy roads will be possible for the morning commute Tuesday, said FOX4 meteorologist Karli Ritter.

“We’re going to end up seeing a mid-day high temperature in the 50s (on Monday) before the cold front makes its presence known and we start falling,” said Ritter, who provides weather updates to The Star. “Temps are going to be a lot colder for the drive home and this is going to set the stage for, yes, a return of winter weather.”

A winter weather advisory has been issued for the Kansas City area beginning at 10 p.m. Monday as a late season winter storm is expected to move into the metro, with areas to the north of the metro already seeing effects of the storm system moving in, she said.

“We’re talking about snowfall for later tonight into tomorrow morning,” Ritter said. “Tomorrow morning’s commute, it’s going to be a little dicey in some spots, especially across northern parts of Missouri.”

In Kansas City, a mixture of rain and snow could start as early as this evening, but the main event arrives overnight into tomorrow morning, she said.

“We’re talking about snowfall,” Ritter said. “That is going to happen during the morning rush, it is likely going to become a little slushy on the roads. Main accumulations, though, will be on the grassy surfaces.”

The storm system is expected to move out of the area by the lunch hour Tuesday. The snow will quickly melt as some sunshine moves back in and temperatures climb to the 40s, she said.

“But when all is said and done, again up to two inches of snow, slushy snow on some of the grassy surfaces definitely possible,” Ritter said. “It could be one of those situations where in the morning it looks like a winter wonderland and by the afternoon, it may not even look like it snowed.”

The winter-like weather, however, isn’t over as freezing temperatures are in the forecast behind this system. A freeze watch is in place as temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s, or at least below freezing, for Wednesday and Thursday morning, Ritter said.