Snow is heading for Kansas City. Here are 5 steps you can take to prepare and stay warm
Winter weather is heading for Kansas City, with forecasts predicting snow and ice starting Saturday, Jan. 4, followed by below-freezing temperatures the next week.
The National Weather Service’s Kansas City office issued a winter storm warning for the greater Kansas City area around 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3.
“Heavy mixed precipitation expected,” the notice read. “Total snow and sleet accumulations between 3 and 7 inches … winds gusting as high as 35 mph.” Much of eastern Kansas and northern Missouri were also under winter storm warnings as of Friday afternoon.
As storm conditions roll in, there are some simple steps residents can take to keep safe and stay warm during the weekend’s snow and sleet. Here are five things you can do to prepare.
Insulate your home
Do you have ceiling fixtures like lights or fans? How about a fireplace with a chimney? Any cracks, breaks or openings in your ceiling or roof give warmth an opportunity to escape.
To avoid this, be sure to close your chimney and tighten any ceiling fixtures in wintertime. You can even buy special covers for attic fans and insulating foam for your rafters to keep hot air indoors.
Doors and windows are the other main culprits in letting the cold into your home. Draft snakes, door sweeps, weather stripping or an inexpensive tube of caulk from the hardware store can all help seal up gaps and keep your walls airtight.
If you can’t tell where cold air is coming in just by feeling with your hand, try this trick: Light a candle and hold it close to (but not touching) the areas where the door or window’s frame connects to the surrounding wall. If the candle’s flame flickers, there may be air coming in.
Stock up on essentials
Keeping a few essential items on hand can help bring peace of mind during a winter storm, and may come in handy if conditions outdoors become hard to navigate. Here are a few things to include in an emergency preparedness kit:
A flashlight with extra batteries
Bottled water and some non-perishable food items
A first aid kit
A fully-charged battery pack to charge phones and other devices
Personal hygiene supplies
Warm blankets
A plan to check in on elderly or disabled neighbors
Depending on your household, you may also want to stock up on pet food, baby formula, medications or assistive devices.
Park off the street if possible
When snowfall exceeds 2 inches, Kansas City and other nearby municipalities may ask residents to park off-street to clear paths for snowplows. If street parking is your only option, follow these city guidelines:
On streets that run north/south, park vehicles on the west side of the street.
On streets that run east/west, park vehicles on the north side of the street.
Please avoid parking on streets where there are streetcar tracks, or along corridors with frequent transit service, if other parking options exist.
In cases of extreme snowfall, the city may also declare a Phase 1 or Phase 2 snow emergency. Phase 1 prohibits driving vehicles without snow tires or snow chains, while Phase 2 requires drivers to move their parked cars off snow routes within two hours.
Prevent pipes from freezing
Pipes are at the greatest risk of freezing where they run through unheated areas like the garage, an unfinished basement, secluded cabinets or crawl spaces. You can keep these pipes warm by insulating them with foam or foil coverings available at many hardware stores.
During extended periods of below-freezing temperatures, the Board of Public Utilities in Kansas City, Kansas, recommends leaving the highest faucet in your home running in order to keep water moving through the pipes. This doesn’t have to be a steady stream — a trickle or even a drip can help prevent your pipes from freezing.
If your pipes freeze, first shut off the water to your home — it’s a good idea to locate your main water shutoff valve before temperatures plunge. Then apply heat to your frozen pipe using a space heater, a hot water bottle, a hair dryer or another warming device. Never use an open flame or a gas burning heater in an enclosed space, and don’t leave your warming device unattended.
Make a plan in case of utility outages
High winds and ice accumulation have the potential to bring down tree limbs, in turn endangering power lines around the metro. If your power goes out, it can pay to be prepared with backup batteries and flashlights. Plenty of blankets can also help you stay warm if your home is heated using electricity.
Never approach or touch a downed power line, even if the power has gone out in your area. You can report outages to Evergy online on the company’s website or by calling 888-544-4852.
While widespread water and natural gas outages aren’t likely during a winter storm, pipes freezing in your home could leave you without water temporarily. Prepare by stocking up on drinking water or filling a few containers to use for washing up.
If you leave your faucet dripping to prevent your pipes from freezing, you can even collect this water in buckets or a watering can for this purpose.
Missouri and Kansas both have a Cold Weather Rule that prevents utility companies from shutting off your service when outdoor temperatures drop below a certain threshold — 35 degrees in Kansas and 32 degrees in Missouri. That means, even if you’re behind on your bills, your electric and natural gas companies can’t disconnect you during extreme low temperatures.
Do you have more questions about severe weather in Missouri or Kansas? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
