On the road again with Joplin News First road conditions

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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD — Round one of wintry precipitation will develop across eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas before expanding into far southwestern Missouri by late this morning. This shield of sleet, snow and freezing rain looks to spread northeastwards towards the Springfield metro area by lunchtime and continue into the evening hours.

11:05 a.m. NO INJURIES AS CAR LEAVES ICY ROAD AND LANDS IN JOPLIN CREEK.

JOPLIN REGION — Road conditions will get worse late Wednesday morning. Beginning around noon conditions will deteriorate south of I-44. The worst areas to suffer will be southeast of Joplin.

A Winter Storm Warning continues for areas along and southeast of the I-44 corridor, with a Winter Weather Advisory further northwest.

A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected across extreme Southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks now through Thursday. This pending episode of winter weather is likely to come in two waves. The first wave will begin late Wednesday morning and continue into this evening.

The second round of wintry precipitation will occur on Thursday. Some pockets of light mixed precipitation remain possible between the two rounds.

Ice amounts of a trace up to half an inch are possible, primarily along and southeast of I-44. Snow and sleet accumulations of a trace up to two inches are also expected, with the higher accumulations along and north of the I-44 corridor.

With wintry precipitation accumulations, slick road conditions are likely to develop leading to travel impacts across the area.

EARLIER SCHOOL CLOSINGS:

JOPLIN, Mo. — “Due to the deteriorating weather conditions, classes are canceled for Wednesday, February 23rd. This will be our 3rd AMI day and will not be made up.” — JOPLIN SCHOOLS

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Tigers in Carthage We will not have school today. Superintendent Mark Baker states online after a 4;15 a.m. call with National Weather Service Meteorologists, “Yes, the decision is based on a forecast provided by the National Weather Service. The amount of snow is not too concerning (less than two inches expected). However, the meteorologists have high confidence freezing rain and sleet will occur late this morning extending into the afternoon drive home. The air and road temperatures will be below freezing when the precipitation begins; thus, the potential for hazardous road conditions is high. Our last school day is Tuesday, May 24.”

WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a message sent to Cardinal Parents, “After an early morning phone call with the National Weather Service and based on their prediction of ice heading our direction, there will be no school today, 2/23/22. This will be an AMI day.”

NEOSHO, Mo. — “This morning’s call with the National Weather Service has a high level of confidence in icy weather conditions around noon. This forecast, coupled with low wind chills, is causing us to cancel today, February 23, 2022.” Neosho emphasizes this is a cancellation, not a virtual day.

 

Law enforcement updates on road conditions

Here is a look at local conditions in the area provided by law enforcement. The list will be updated as we receive more information.

Resources

Kansas

The Cherokee County Sherriff’s Office notes slick road conditions on interstates. Crews work to clear the roads, however, continuous snowfall has made it difficult to remove ice and snow. Deputies advise the public to buckle up and slow down while traveling.

Missouri

Newton County Sherriff’s Office reports that side roads are slick and mostly covered. Deputies report that interstates have patches of ice.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol advises people to avoid travel if possible. Roads in the upper half and southwest part of the state are now covered.