Wichita saw about 3.2 inches of snow from Friday through noon Saturday, with the potential for a few more inches before the storm ends, Wichita-based National Weather Service meteorologist James Cuellar said.
Wichita was originally forecast to get 6-10 inches of snow. Cuellar said Wichita will likely now be more in the 4-6 inch range.
Areas north of Wichita have already seen more snow than that, with the highest amount being about seven inches near Beloit.
However, most of Kansas will end up with less snow than originally forecast, as the storm, which is affecting most of the eastern half of the US, has now moved south of much of Kansas.
The National Weather Service National Weather Prediction Center’s Saturday storm mapping now shows the winter storm missing most of Kansas. Weather models earlier in the week showed Kansas further in the snowstorm’s path.
Here’s a look at how much snow fell across Kansas by 10 a.m. Saturday:
A look at statewide snowfall totals.
Friday’s forecast also called for snow to hit the Wichita area in two rounds, the second being Saturday night into Sunday morning. Cuellar said the forecast now shows snow during the day Saturday, which will likely taper off in the evening.
But, he said, “Wichita will be right on the border” of a band of snow hitting tonight that is more likely to hit along and east of the Turnpike in south-central and southeast Kansas. The stretch will be a “pretty sharp line” where 20 miles will mean a big difference in snow, he said.
If it hits Wichita directly, it could push the recent snow total to about 7 inches, he said. It would also keep snow falling in Wichita later into Sunday morning.
Even though the original snow forecast is down, cold was the biggest concern for Kansas with this storm. The wind chill so far in Wichita was minus 17 degrees before 11 pm Friday night, with the wind chill remaining in the negative teens throughout Saturday morning. The temperature has not risen above the single digits since late Friday morning.
A negative wind chill is still predicted on Sunday and Monday morning.
In states south and east of Kansas, there is still concern for “catastrophic accumulation of snow,” according to the Weather Prediction Center of the National Weather Service.
“Prolonged power outages, extensive tree damage, and extremely hazardous and impassable travel conditions are likely,” the forecasting center said. “Catastrophic impacts are expected where freezing rain amounts exceed half an inch, with snow accumulation of more than an inch locally possible in parts of northern Louisiana, central and northern Mississippi, southern Tennessee, and the southern Appalachians.”