Snow tormented the citizens of Kansas City in early January in the first snowstorm of the season. Temperatures remained around 10 degrees, while in some parts of Kansas City, they dropped even lower. Several northern Kansas City school districts closed down. As the week went on , however, temperatures began to rise back to regular January levels, with Wednesday and Thursday remaining in the 20’s and 30’s.
Many took preventative measures to ensure less damage to their property. Mechanic at KC Brake and Auto shop, Kevin Elder, said that they were busy before and during the storm.
“Lots of batteries, people realizing their tires are, in fact, in need of replacement,” Elder explained. “So yeah, there’s a lot of things that showed up with the cold weather.”
Citizens weren’t the only ones working; resources were stretched thin to ensure the roads would be clear by Monday morning. Workers clocked in Friday night, with a total of 300 cars cleaning roads, in a full shift.
Melissa Black, with the department of transportation, heeded citizens to still be careful on the roads, specifically on curves, hills, and overpasses. “You’re not supposed to try over-correcting,” Black says in reference to sliding on ice. “Take your foot off of the gas, and try not to freak out.”
Anita Mohan (‘23) had trouble getting to school on time. “The roads were icy and it felt dangerous to drive, so it was a struggle to even drive safely, let alone get to school on time,” she said.
“It definitely should have merited a snow day,” she continued. “Some schools had snow days, and we didn’t, so that’s a little unfair if you ask me,” she offered. Mohan (‘23) gets transported to school with her two younger siblings Simran (‘26) and Arjun (‘25). “I slid on the road, and it was honestly the most terrifying experience of my life,” she said.
“It was my first time driving in the winter, so it was a little bit scary, but it wasn’t too bad,” Charlie Hisle (‘23) said. “I literally started decomposing on the road.”
“I was kind of nervous driving on, like, the slick roads,” said another Barstow junior, Aaram Salaam. “I don’t drive on snow a lot, because of climate change and stuff…so that’s kind of crazy.”
Climate change does affect the amount of winter storms present. While global temperatures are rising, overall, day to day weather conditions simply have become more severe as a response to the changing atmospheric conditions. Many meteorologists also expect for midwest climates to experience more frequent cold snaps this coming spring and conditions more favorable to tornadoes. Patterns of wind also become disrupted with rapid change in temperature.
