12/9/2009
By TIM UNRUH Salina Journal
Snowfall was making prophets out of weather predictors across Kansas on Tuesday as 5 to 8 inches of snow fell in Salina and up to a foot fell in Belleville, confirming local forecasts.

But the real concern was ahead. If winds out of the north or northwest showed up as warned, much of northern Kansas, from Abilene and Salina west to the Colorado line and north to Nebraska, could be a mess.

"We've got 6 inches on the ground, and we're just waiting for the wind to start," Norton County Sheriff Troy Thompson said Tuesday afternoon.

"That's going to make it terrible. It's all dry, light snow. It's going to drift bad," he said.

If wind speeds gust over 30 to near 40 mph, Thompson said there could be drifts from 3 to 5 feet tall.

Temperatures were expected to plummet to 0 to 5 degrees Tuesday night, producing an even more dangerous wind chill index of 20 below zero, said Chad Omitt, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Topeka.

"It's pretty serious stuff," he said. "It's not common that we see a combination of very heavy snow, strong winds and bitterly cold wind chills. It's a potentially dangerous situation to be outdoors."

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management announced Tuesday it was preparing for emergency operations if needed in response to the storm that was gripping much of the state.

Visibility was already an issue Tuesday afternoon, as the wind reached 12 mph in WaKeeney, a Trego County dispatcher said.

Up to 5 inches of snow made for slick roads. Motorists were sliding off of Interstate Highway 70 through Trego County, keeping Kansas Highway Patrol troopers busy, the dispatcher said.

Through mid-afternoon, the patrol had reported no serious crashes in north-central or northwest Kansas.

There were no serious traffic mishaps in Salina, Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield said, and fewer than a dozen crashes were reported.

"We've got slick streets, and we've got enough officers to respond to wrecks," he said. "People are driving responsibly."

The Salina Police Department implemented Operation Slick Streets at 5 a.m. Tuesday, allowing for motorists to report non-injury, drug- and alcohol-free crashes of less than $1,000 in damage that didn't require towing. Forms were available from the police department or any Salina convenience store.

There was heavy snow at times after 3 p.m. in Salina, where up to 9 inches of accumulation was expected.

"The biggest problem is the wind," said Mary Knapp, of Manhattan, the state climatologist.

A winter storm warning was in effect for generally I-70 north to Nebraska. Add in high winds, and you'd have blizzard conditions.

"You don't have to have snow falling. You're not going to be able to see the hand in front of your face," Knapp said.

St. Francis, in extreme northwest Kansas, reported about 4 inches of snow Tuesday afternoon, but with the wind blowing, visibility was low, a dispatcher said.

If the temperature dips to minus 4 tonight in Salina, as predicted, it will make matters worse. That wouldn't compare to the record in Manhattan of minus 22 on Dec. 23, 1989, Knapp said. The low on Dec. 22, 2000, in Salina was minus 7, she said.

"Just stay home if you don't have to be in it," said Tracy Ploutz, Ellsworth County sheriff. Ellsworth had received more than 6 inches of snow by mid-afternoon Tuesday and it was still "snowing real heavy," he said. "There's a little bit of wind pushing it."

There was 10 inches of snow on the ground at Beloit, 8 to 10 inches in Phillipsburg.

"At least 8" inches of snow was on the ground in Washington, dispatcher Theresa Herrs said, and there were few traffic problems.

"Everybody in our county is very intelligent," Herrs said, "and they've been staying home."

By late Tuesday afternoon, several surrounding school districts already had made the decision to cancel school for today, and other events also were being cancelled.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

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