A snow squall warning has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for the Kansas City area, early Friday. The warning remains in place until 5:45 pm. It is for Johnson, Jackson, Miami and Cass counties.
“At 5:15 p.m., a dangerous snow squall was located along a line extending from Grain Valley to Gardner, moving southeast at 30 mph. Travel will become difficult and potentially dangerous within minutes,” the NWS said.
Areas likely to be impacted include Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Shawnee, Blue Springs, Lenexa, Leawood, Raytown, Grandview, Belton, Prairie Village, Raymore, Gardner, Grain Valley, Merriam, Mission, Pleasant Hill and Paola.
The highways likely to face the brunt are Interstate 70 in Missouri between mile markers 7 and 29. Interstate 35 in Kansas between mile markers 205 and 229. Interstate 470 between mile markers 0 and 16. Interstate 435 between mile markers 0 and 5, and between mile markers 62 and 83. Interstate 49 between mile markers 165 and 183, as per Kansas City Star.
What is a snow squall?
A snow squall is an intense winter weather events which is often associated with strong cold fronts. These squalls can quickly blanket roads with snow and ice, even when there is no major winter storm in the forecast. They typically last less than an hour and result in minor snow accumulation, However, squalls can still be dangerous because of reduced visibility, gusty winds, and rapidly dropping temperatures. Often fatal accidents take place during these squalls due to lowered visibility.
One person spoke about the blizzard conditions on X, noting “this was right outside of Omaha (Council Bluff IA area. The trucker was shaken up but helped out already. Blizzard conditions from that snow squall around 11am today.”
More videos were shared on social media as well. “The 1st ever I believe Snow Squall Warning for KC has been issued until 545 PM. The warning is for mainly south of the river. Periods of very low visibility due to heavy snow and 30-40 mph wind gusts. The current snow will be heavy for 10-15 minutes then let up,” another person wrote.
Yet another person shared an image.
“Here is what it looks like inside the snow squall warning in Stillwell, Kansas,” they remarked.