textproduct: Kansas City/Pleasant Hill

KEY MESSAGES

- Moderate to heavy snow showers and a few snow squalls are possible through early this evening. Any accumulations will be very minor, but reduced visibility could cause brief travel impacts.

- Bitter cold temperatures are forecast Saturday into Saturday night. High temperatures Saturday will reach the upper 10s to lower 20s with morning lows in the in the single digits. Wind chill values will range from around +5 to -10 degrees.

- Temperatures will moderate slowly back towards normal January values going through next week.

MESOSCALE

Issued at 1249 PM CST Fri Jan 16 2026

Radar and traffic camera observations show an intense snow squall moving through the Omaha metro area. This is developing on the leading edge of the incoming Arctic air mass. With the forecast snow squall parameter trending upward across the area, expecting this activity to grow in size and intensity. This band will arrive in NW MO in the next 1-2 hours, reaching the KC metro around as early as 3 PM potentially but most likely between 4 and 6 PM.

Main impacts will be brief periods of near- whiteout conditions (around a half to a quarter mile or less in visibility) and very gusty winds up to 40 mph or higher. This will potentially cause travel issues during the evening rush hour. Have an SPS in effect through 7 PM for snow squall potential across the entire area and will issue Snow Squall Warning as needed for individual bands of snow.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1249 PM CST Fri Jan 16 2026

The main push of Arctic air will move into the region tonight bringing the snow showers and squall through early tonight. Gradient wind gusts of 30-35 mph are expected, with gust up to 40+ mph possible in heavier snow shower activity. As the best forecast exits the region tonight, any snow activity will diminish or taper to flurries.

The core of the Arctic air mass will become centered over the area on Saturday, with temperatures at 850 mb falling to around negative 20C, which is around the 1st to 5th percentile. This will yield high temperatures about 10-15 degrees below normal, in the upper 10s to upper 20s from north to south. Low temperatures by Sunday morning will fall into the single digits with wind chill values of +5 to -15 degrees forecast during the morning hours, with the coldest temperatures in northern MO.

The deep troughing over the central CONUS will shift to the east of the region on Sunday, and temperatures will begin to moderate slowly, as an mid-level baroclinic zone sets up over the area. However, it will not be a linear warming trend, as additional lobes of Arctic air brush against the forecast area. This will result in high temperatures near normal January values on Sunday, but falling back into the middle to upper 20s on Monday/MLK Jr. Day before rebounding again back to normal values for the middle of next week. As the overall synoptic pattern remains dry/anticyclonic, no precipitation chances are expected until Thursday into Friday. Then, another shortwave/clipper will descend into the region from Canada, bringing a small chance of rain, or a rain/snow mix.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 558 PM CST Fri Jan 16 2026

Majority of SN/SHSN activity has wound down across the TAF sites. In their wake, conditions will remain gusty out of the NW, but gradually easing a bit overnight. Ceilings are currently expected to remain VFR (albeit on the lower end), but could see some periods of MVFR given existing upstream observations. Though with limited confidence in sustained MVFR, have kept conditions VFR through the period.

EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MO...None. KS...None.