A major winter storm expected to bring strong winds and heavy snow to a dozen states reached the Great Plains on Saturday, forcing officials to close the Kansas City airport in Missouri and an 18-mile section of Interstate 70 in Kansas.
Kansas City's airport was “temporarily closed” as of 3 p.m. local time as crews worked to clear the roads of snow, said Denise Christensen, an airport dispatcher.
Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas declared a state of emergency on Saturday afternoon, as officials looked for the worst of the storm.
The Kansas City area was under a snow warning until 3 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, which predicted nine to 14 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.
“Walking would be too difficult to do,” the service said in an update.
The closure of the airport delayed the flight of the Kansas City Chiefs team to Denver, said Brad Gee, spokesman for the Chiefs. The Chiefs, who were supposed to play the Broncos on Sunday afternoon, were still on the way to the airport on Saturday evening, said Mr.
This storm was causing damage to the main roads of the province.
In a video recorded near a section of Interstate 135 in Kansas and posted on social media, Trooper Ben Gardner of the Kansas Highway Patrol said the highway is “very clear” and that it “hasn't gotten any better.”
“Get off the streets,” he said. “Don't have them because it's not good and it can cause something really bad. Stay at home.”
A cold, 18-mile stretch of Interstate 70 was closed around 3 p.m. due to accidents and traffic jams, said Kim Stich, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Earlier, another three-mile section of the highway was closed but reopened.
The storm was forecast to strengthen in Kansas and move east along Interstate 70, bringing heavy snow and freezing temperatures along a band of Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
Several states in the storm's path, including Arkansas, Kentucky and Virginia, have declared states of emergency in anticipation of its arrival. Cities including Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis managed the roads ahead of the storm and repaired the warming centers.
Some areas could receive the heaviest snow in a decade or more, forecasters say early Saturday as winter storm warnings go into effect.
The National Weather Service has issued a series of winter watches, advisories and warnings for states, from eastern Colorado to New Jersey.
“It's going to be a powerful storm that affects a very large area of the country,” said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
As the storm continues, arctic air is predicted to stabilize afterwards, as some of the coldest temperatures this season are expected to last for several days.
The governors of Missouri and Indiana have placed the National Guard in their states, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia declared a state of emergency and urged people to avoid travel on Sunday.
In Kansas, plows will be out Saturday night, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The Prediction Center said some of the worst conditions are likely to be in northern areas and along the Interstate 70 corridor, which runs through St. Louis and Indianapolis.
“The heaviest snow will be concentrated south of Chicago,” said Rich Bann, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.
Moderate lake ice may also affect the Upper Great Lakes and Lake Erie through Sunday morning, forecasters said.
The Prediction Center has also warned of “significant snowfall” in the Mid-South this weekend. Sleet and snow could cause damage from eastern Kansas and the Ozarks, extending east into Tennessee and the lower Ohio Valleys.
“That rain will freeze when it meets and turns into ice — that's what sticks to trees, power lines, roads, cars, car windows, everything,” said Mr.
The southern Appalachian Mountains are also at risk of freezing Sunday and Sunday night.
There was an enhanced risk, level two out of five, that severe thunderstorms Sunday could develop in parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley and bring lightning, tornadoes, hail and tornadoes.
From Sunday through Monday, the storm is on track to cross the Appalachians and move into the Mid-Atlantic region, including the Washington, DC area, as well as western Maryland, Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Early Monday morning, snow is expected to fall in the Mid-Atlantic region and continue throughout the day.
The storm comes at a time when the country is poised to experience what the Weather Service is calling a “major arctic outbreak.”
Temperatures are expected to drop below average in areas east of the Rocky Mountains, as far south as the Gulf Coast and Florida, with cold weather lasting through January.
Isabella Kwayi responsible reporting.
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