Snow Squall Warning Issued for Central Missouri; Dangerous Travel Conditions on I-70

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO has issued a Snow Squall Warning for portions of central and west central Missouri. The alert was triggered at 4:55 PM CDT after radar and webcams identified a dangerous snow squall moving east at 35 mph.

Affected Areas

The warning impacts the following regions in Missouri:

• Pettis County
• Southwestern Howard County
• Saline County
• Southeastern Lafayette County
• Western Cooper County
• Eastern Johnson County

Specific locations in the path include Sedalia, Warrensburg, Marshall, Knob Noster, Concordia, Sweet Springs, Whiteman Air Force Base, La Monte, Waverly, Pilot Grove, Smithton, Leeton, Green Ridge, Otterville, Corder, Alma, Malta Bend, Blackburn, and Houstonia. This alert specifically includes Interstate 70 between mile markers 54 and 95.

What You Should Do

Motorists are urged to slow down immediately. Rapid changes in visibility and road conditions are expected with this dangerous snow squall. Be alert for sudden whiteout conditions. The NWS recommends avoiding travel in the affected area until the warning expires.

Expected Conditions

Residents should expect intense bursts of heavy snow accompanied by gusty winds. Visibility is forecast to fall rapidly to less than one-quarter mile. Wind gusts are expected to exceed 35 mph. At 4:54 PM CDT, a surface observation in Warrensburg reported visibility of one-quarter mile and wind gusts of 30 mph.

Timeline

The Snow Squall Warning is effective until 5:45 PM CDT on March 15. The squall line was last located extending from 6 miles southeast of Carrollton to near Leeton, moving east at 35 mph.