Winter Storm Jupiter

Crunch Time
Alright, folks, listen up. We're skipping the humor and getting down to brass tacks on this blog update. Things are looking like they will get nasty this weekend, so now is the time to figure out your plan for dealing with it. Things are still subject to change, which isn't news to anyone that's read our blog before, but we want you to have a good idea of what to expect

Our Thoughts
Friday will bring the first round of Freezing Rain, expanding from South of the KC area Northward. Eventually, we should see a break on Saturday for a while, and then Freezing Rain will pick back up later on Saturday on through Sunday. The tricky detail is going to be when/if the temperature rises above Freezing on Sunday. It looks like it'll be afternoon or later. The rub? The longer temps stay below Freezing on Sunday, the more Ice we'll see accumulate, taking us from a bad scenario to a near-2002 Ice Storm scenario.

Specifics
Friday

Image: NWS Kansas City

Saturday

Sunday

Monday Total Ice Accumulations by Sunday Night

Image: HazWx.com

Synopsis
Our local National Weather Service Office has been updating their thoughts on this weekend's Winter Storm. Here's the latest from them.
"Confidence continues to grow that a major winter storm will impact the lower Missouri valley this coming weekend. The potential exists for significant icing across the area, as a freezing rain falls from Friday afternoon through Sunday. This storm system will lead to very dangerous travel conditions, along with the possibility of downed tree limbs and possible power outages. Freezing rain should gradually come to an end on Sunday as warm air returns from the South."

How Freezing Precipitation Works

Image: NWS St. Louis

With the image above, you can see how the differing layers of Warm and Cold air from the ground up make a big difference in how precipitation hits the ground. Essentially, the more cold air, the more freezing can take place with the liquid. We're going to see pretty warm air aloft over the weekend, and a strong but thinner layer of cold air toward the ground.

Winter Safety Tips
- Get prepared BEFORE the precipitation begins to fall.
- Prepare your vehicle: Include some sand or kitty litter, ice melt, an ice scraper, a flashlight, some food & water, and a change of dry clothes (gloves, scarf, sox, shoes, pants, layers, sweater, etc).
- If you have a truck, put sandbags over the rear axle to provide extra traction.
- Have something to cover your windshield: Cardboard or a Tarp with straps works well.
- Test your battery backups and generators. Make sure generators have enough fuel.
- Never run fuel-based heaters indoors as that can be very deadly to breathe in the fumes.
- Prepare for power outages.
- Don't crowd the plows.
- Charge up your batteries (cell phones, battery backups, medical supply batteries, etc)
- Withdraw cash to have on you in case ATM's are unavailable or Credit/Debit machines are inoperable.
- Bring your pets inside.
- Listen to local officials for information regarding emergencies.

Take Action
Get prepared. Don't wait until Friday! It might not be as bad as it looks, and that would be great for reasons we don't need to explain. However, it could also be worse than anticipated as well. Please be safe, stay warm, and make sure you pay attention to updated forecast and emergency information.

Questions? Pictures? Drop us a line or chat us up on Social Media.

Stay safe out there,

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Twisted Skies Chase Team

Ground Truth | To Protect Life & Property

Established October 2014

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