Northeast Kansas prepares for potential winter storm

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - All across Kansas people are getting ready for the incoming winter storm Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Roads will likely be snow covered and hazardous through the day on Wednesday. If you must travel, be sure and check KanDrive.com for the the latest road conditions. You alos may be thinking you are out of practice from driving in heavy snow. If so, you’re right. It’s been since November 25, 2018 that Topeka has seen 6″ of snowfall and even longer since Northeast Kansas has seen a 10″+ snowfall event.

Despite the length of time, the Kansas Department of Transportation expects to still be on top of the ball with this one.

“Right now we are just keeping a close eye on the conditions,”says Kate Craft, the Public Affairs Manager for KDOT’s District 1, “and we will continue to do that and monitor things through today and tomorrow. And we’ll have the crews prepped and the equipment prepped so that we are ready to go once the weather starts moving into the area.”

With Monday being so nice, many Kansans decided to get out and enjoy the warm up. Dan Carson took advantage of the weather by taking down his Christmas lights.

“We know the snow was coming,” says Carson, “so we wanted to get the Christmas decorations down before it hits and of course we might have another cold spell so it’s a beautiful day today and a good day to do it.”

As is always the case, the most important thing to do while driving in the snow is to take it slow and be mindful of others around you.

“Snow plows are travelling at a lower rate of speed than the posted speed limit,” says Craft. “They are turning and exiting the roadway frequently. They are often putting down de-icing material from the back of the truck so be sure and give them plenty of room and extra space and also keep in mind that the operators feel that their vision can be limited.”

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