The winter weather watch for this area has been upgraded to an Ice Storm Warning in effect from noon today to midnight Tuesday night. Travel is strongly discouraged. Schools in the Winfield, Arkansas City, Burden and Dexter areas are closed today.
The National Weather Service in Wichita is predicting that freezing rain will develop this afternoon and continue through late Tuesday evening across south central Kansas. A quarter of an inch of ice accumulation is possible during the afternoon and evening commute – with around an inch of total ice accumulation possible.
This amount of ice could cause power outages. Some sleet and light snow could mix with the freezing rain before this major winter event ends Tuesday evening.
A number of events were canceled over the weekend because of treacherous driving conditions that accompanied a winter storm that moved in Saturday night.
An Ice Storm Warning means severe weather conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of ice accumulations will make travel dangerous or impossible, according to the weather service.
If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Icy accumulations and winds will likely lead to snapped power lines and falling tree branches that add to the danger.
This will be the second significant weather event in this area since Saturday.
