Snow has moved out of the area, but frigid temperatures will remain through Monday. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning from midnight tonight through noon Monday. Wind chills as low as 20 to 25 degrees below zero are expected, creating dangerous conditions for anyone spending time outdoors.
Public Works’ snow crews continue operating on 12-hour split shifts and completed a fourth round of plowing on Hot and Secondary Routes earlier today. Hot Routes include major roads such as State Avenue and Parallel Parkway, along with streets that serve police stations, fire stations, hospitals, schools, and steep hills. Secondary Routes connect neighborhoods to those major corridors. Neighborhood Routes are residential streets, including cul-de-sacs and dead ends.
Crews entered Neighborhood Routes this afternoon and will continue working in residential areas as conditions allow. Neighborhood Routes make up the majority of the city’s street network and typically take 48 to 72 hours to address once snowfall ends.
To help crews move more efficiently through neighborhoods, residents are encouraged to park in driveways whenever possible. Where on-street parking cannot be avoided, vehicles should be parked as close to the curb as possible.
While snowfall has ended, today’s brief warming created additional challenges. Street surface temperatures rose slightly above freezing, and sunlight encouraged melting in many areas, particularly on east-west streets. As temperatures drop sharply tonight, that melting is expected to refreeze, increasing the risk of icy conditions on roadways.
What this Means for Neighborhoods
Neighborhood Routes make up the majority of the city’s roughly 2,400 lane miles and take significantly longer to clear during multi-day storms.
Staffing levels also affect how quickly crews can move through the system. Public Works typically has about 25 operators per shift available during snow response. For comparison, Overland Park operates with roughly 65 snowplow operators covering a similar number of lane miles. With fewer crews covering a large street network, plowing operations in Kansas City, Kansas, take more time, particularly during extended storms like this one.
Nearly 70 percent of snowplow operators have one year or less of snowplowing experience. Crews trained extensively ahead of the season and are supported by supervisors and experienced operators. Residents are encouraged to be patient and give teams space as they work through challenging conditions.
Residents are strongly encouraged to remain indoors unless travel is necessary. Those who must be out should slow down, allow extra stopping distance, and assume that any street may have ice present, even if it appears clear. Drivers are also asked to give snowplows plenty of room to work safely.
Visit the Snow Removal Policies & FAQs webpage to learn more. To report a service issue, dial 3-1-1.
