Kansas road conditions deteriorating as winter storm rolls on

WAKEENEY, Kan. (KWCH) - Update: Several roads across Western Kansas are snow-covered, but as Wednesday night, there were no major closures. Storm Team 12 continues to track snow falling in the western half of the state with a storm that gradually is pushing east. As of 9 p.m., Scott City and Colby are among areas with five inches of snow measured.

Earlier Wednesday evening, the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office reported conditions deteriorating quickly, leading to two crashes involving semi trucks.

Six to eight inches of snow is still forecast for areas of northwest to north central Kansas with a large band from southwest to portions of northeast Kansas expecting one to three inches. South Central Kansas, including the Wichita area, will only see a trace to one inch of snow by early Thursday morning.

A warmer sector of the storm system includes thunderstorms and tornado warnings in Oklahoma.

With the storm continuing into Thursday morning, several school districts, as well as Colby Community College and Kansas State University announced classes are canceled for Thursday. K-State said its closures are for its main campus in Manhattan, as well as its Salina campus.

You can see the full list of closings here: https://www.kwch.com/weather/closings/.

As winter weather continues to impact much of western and central Kansas, you can follow live updates on conditions and watch out for road closures on KanDrive.org.

Road conditions across much of Kansas continue to worsen as a winter storm moves through. Across most of Western Kansas, snow began falling Wednesday morning and continued through the day, slowing down drivers traveling both directions on Interstate 70.

In WaKeeney, 12 News spoke with one traveler who reported the wind pushing their vehicle around, but they planned to keep going as long as the interstate remained open.

More snow was expected through Wednesday night into Thursday morning with some areas in northwest Kansas seeing up to eight inches before it’s over. Storm Team 12 reports southwest Kansas, in most areas, could get up to three inches with central Kansas generally expecting one to three inches of snow.

Parts of central and northeast Kansas are also seeing adverse conditions. With the storm continuing into Thursday morning, Kansas State University announced classes are canceled for Thursday at its main campus in Manhattan, as well as its Salina campus.

You can see the full list of closings here: https://www.kwch.com/weather/closings/.

Heaviest snow will fall in the northwest(KWCH)

Traveling troubles could continue early Thursday morning with sub-zero wind chills early in the day. Afternoon temperatures will approach 30 degrees (near the freezing mark) with a gradual clearing of clouds. Warmer weather returns for Friday and the weekend with most of Kansas back above 40 degrees for the afternoon high. Storm Team 12 reports some areas could see highs into the 50s or even low 60s.

As winter weather continues to impact much of the state’s western half, you can follow live updates on conditions and watch out for closures on KanDrive.org.