Winter Wonderland? This is the snowy drive that leads to Kansas Public Radio and Audio-Reader. Lawrence received about 5 inches of snow during this latest storm. (Photo by J. Schafer)
Lawrence, Kan. (AP and KPR) – Tens of thousands of people in Kansas and northwest Missouri are without power after a snowstorm blanketed the two states for the second time in a week. Kansas City Power & Light reported this (TUE) morning that about 60,000 customers were without power. The outages stretched throughout the utility's service area from Emporia to Sedalia, Missouri, but the highest number was in the Kansas City metro area. Westar Energy reported 6,877 outages throughout its Kansas region, which includes pockets near Kansas City. Westar's highest number of outages at 9:30am was in Jefferson and Leavenworth counties.
Kansas transportation officials reopened some roads leading from southwest Kansas into the Oklahoma Panhandle. But parts of several other south-central and southwest Kansas highways — including some leading into Oklahoma — remained closed because of blowing and drifting snow.
This bicycle, left outside KPR, was blanketed by snow Tuesday morning. (Photo by J. Schafer)
Rural parts of Kansas may have been hit hardest by the latest winter storm. In southern and southeastern Kansas, snow collected in high drifts and on power lines, some of which came down. Westar Energy officials say power outages are predominantly in outlying areas where rural road conditions are worst and hindering the ability to get to downed lines and frozen equipment. About 8,400 households are without power in a 20-county area in the eastern third of the state. This storm brought less snow than last week's blast, but caused more damage because of the wind.
The National Weather Service says Kingman County received 10.5 inches of new snow. Wichita received nearly 7 inches and Eudora got at least 6.5 inches as of Tuesday morning.