Three days before Christmas Eve, a mean one will move across state, imperiling the holiday travel plans of Missourians.
This Grinch that might steal your Christmas plans isn't green.
An unforgiving barrage of snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures will hit northwest Missouri on Wednesday night and move across the state throughout the day Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
In a news release Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) urged all drivers to monitor changing road conditions both where they are and where they are going.
Current Missouri road conditions can be found on MoDOT's Traveler Information Map online or in the app. Road conditions and warnings are also posted on MoDOT's Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Behind the arctic cold front, Missouri will see a band of heavy snowfall early Thursday, ushering in between 2 and 4 inches of snow, said NWS meteorologist Marshall Pfahler. Temperatures will free fall from the mid-30s to below zero by that evening, he said.
'We're prepared,' officials say
Cole County Public Works Director Eric Landwehr said county plow drivers are prepared for the first winter storm of the season, but frigid temperatures may impact their ability to immediately clear snow and ice from roadways.
"For the most part, this is just really business as usual," Landwehr said. "We're prepared. We started getting trucks ready way back in early November so our equipment is ready.
"The only problem is trying to clear snow when it's that cold. We don't really have a solution for chemicals that will help it burn off or melt off. So it might be a little tough through the night until Friday, if we can get some sunlight on Friday."
Landwehr said he's expecting most of the action to hit Cole County on Thursday, starting with some misty rain in the early morning and turning into snow by 10 a.m. He said the snow should stop falling by 6-8 p.m. Thursday.
Clearing roads, especially overnight, could take longer than usual after the snow ends because the chemicals used to treat the roads lose their effectiveness in bitterly cold temperatures, said Becky Allmeroth, MoDOT's chief safety and operations officer.
The storm is expected to bring dry snow, which can create blizzard-like whiteout conditions around snow plows.
Crews will be out early Thursday morning to lay a mixture of salt and sand before the snowfall, Landwehr said, which helps with initial snow removal. He said county plow drivers will be running their routes throughout the day Thursday as well.
"I would expect there to still be some snow and some snowpack Friday morning," Landwehr said. "It's not supposed to snow after the early evening hours on Thursday, so it should be pretty good at least by later Friday into Saturday."
Bryan Boyce, road and parks superintendent with Cole County Public Works, said it could be Friday afternoon before some paths are fully cleared. He encouraged residents, particularly those in neighborhoods, to park in their driveways so plows can clear roadways more effectively.
Landwehr said the possibility of precipitation freezing over before Friday depends on the temperature and how the snow falls.
"It really just depends on how quick that temperature drops and how the snow times with that," he said. "If the temperature doesn't drop immediately and we can get it cleared off really good, then it should be pretty good by Friday."
If the temperature drops while snow continues falling, then plow drivers have a challenge, he said, because most roadway treatments are not effective when temperatures drop into the teens or below.
Landwehr said the county is fully staffed with plow drivers. The department has a handful of new drivers, he said, which will be partnered with experienced staff to train during the snowstorm.
Landwehr urged drivers to stay off roadways during and after the storm to give plows time to clear them.
"Any car or truck that's out there on the roadway, it's always a hazard or potential issue for us as we're operating and trying to clean roads off," he said. "The best thing: if you don't have to go out, just don't go out."
'Could be life threatening'
The NWS issued a winter storm watch in effect from 6 a.m. Thursday through 6 p.m. Friday, and a wind chill watch is in effect from 6 p.m. Thursday through noon Saturday.
Typically, expected snowfall levels must reach 6 inches before a watch is called.
"But that snowfall will combine with strong, gusty winds of 40 to 45 miles per hour, creating blizzard conditions," Pfahler said. The NWS predicts the combination of frigid temperatures and strong winds could lead to dangerous wind chills between minus 20 and minus 30 degrees.
Gov. Mike Parson issued an executive order Tuesday afternoon to activate the Missouri National Guard and other state resources in response to the anticipated extreme weather.
Parson said the bitter cold is more concerning than snow accumulation, as some parts of the state will have wind chills as cold as minus 40 degrees.
The executive order directs resources and response teams to be on standby, activating both the Missouri National Guard and the state's Emergency Operations Plan.
"While state government cannot control the weather, we want to be as prepared as possible," the governor said.
Allmeroth of MoDOT added: "Snowfall totals are manageable, but high winds and bitterly cold temperatures will make clearing the roads difficult. Motorists should take extra preparations before you take to the road."
If traveling around this time is absolutely necessary, the MoDOT release recommends a full tank of gas, blankets, gloves and provisions like water and snacks in the event of an emergency,
"Make sure your cellphone is fully charged, but never use it while driving. If you should slide off the road, or are involved in a crash, stay inside your vehicle with your seat belt buckled until help arrives," the release said.
The winter weather is expected to make holiday travel more "hazardous," according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.
"The sub-zero wind chill could be life-threatening if a motorist becomes stranded," the agency said in a news release.
Approximately 25 people were killed and 1,995 injured through winter weather crashes last year, according to the Highway Patrol. There were 7,392 crashes that occurred during snow, sleet, hail and freezing events across five winter months.
The Highway Patrol recommends travelers venturing through the storm reduce their speed, use vehicle headlights and windshield wipers, avoid using cruise control and increase their following distance from other cars, leaving at least five seconds of distance to account for stopping difficulties.
The State Highway Patrol emergency number, which contacts the nearest troop headquarters, is 1-800-525-5555, or *55 on a cell phone.
The storm has the potential to damage structures and cause power outages, the Kansas City Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is cautioning.
In the event of a power outage, the federal agency suggests keeping generators, charcoal grills and camp stoves outdoors, exercising caution with candles and avoiding downed cable lines.
MoDOT will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. today at the Central District headquarters to discuss the upcoming winter weather.
Julie Smth/News Tribune While double checking the equipment ahead of Thursday's expected winter storm, Michael McDaniel makes sure all the pins are fastened in place and secure on the 2021 International dump truck, one of the newest in the county's fleet of Cole County Public Works road maintenance vehicles. Drivers expect to spend up to 16 hours in a truck when the weather turns cold and precipitation is in the air early Thursday morning.