A winter storm has brought moderate to heavy snow across Kansas .
The snow caused slick driving conditions across central and south central Kansas and a number of accidents and slide-offs were reported in the Wichita area for the morning drive. Snowfall amounts have been around two inches, and they are expected to total up to 4 inches for southern Kansas, including the Wichita area. The southern tier of counties along the Oklahoma border could see one to two inches. Northern and central parts of Kansas are expecting 5 to 8 inches of accumulation.
The National Weather Service said a Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect through 6 p.m. Wednesday for southern areas of Kansas, including Sedgwick, Kingman, Reno, Harvey, Butler, Harper, Sumner, Cowley and Greenwood counties. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 6 Wednesday evening for central and northern Kansas, including Rice, McPherson, Saline, Marion and Chase counties.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation because of the winter storm. The declaration will allow state resources to be used to provide assistance, and there will be a waiver of hours of service for propane providers. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management will be monitoring the situation and will assist counties and local responders if requested.
Bitter cold temperatures will return during the week with highs in the 20s for Wichita Wednesday and Thursday. Wind chills will be the coldest on Thursday with values from 5 to 15 degrees below zero.
[ photo: KanDrive.gov ]
