The National Weather Service expects ice, sleet, and heavy snow accumulation this weekend. Meteorologists are expecting as much as 13 inches of snow to fall in Northwest Missouri.

The National Weather Service has now issued a Winter Storm Warning from 6 pm Saturday, January 4, to 3 am Monday, January 6. Areas included in this storm warning include portions of east central and northeast Kansas and central, north central, northeast, northwest, and west central Missouri.

On Saturday, our area could see freezing rain and sleet, and then on Sunday, January 5, it will changeover to very heavy snow. Thunderstorms with snow are possible which could increase snowfall rates to 2" per hour at times. There will also be wind gusting up to 35 mph at times with this storm causing blowing and drifting of the snow Sunday into Monday.

Heavy mixed precipitation expected. The National Weather Service expects total snow and sleet accumulations between 6 and 13 inches and ice accumulations up to two tenths of an inch.

This amount of snow and ice can cause complications for roads and homes. Homeowners should be prepared for tree damage and branches to fall, damage to power lines and power poles, and power outages.

The Missouri Department of Transportation and the City of Kearney have announced that they will be treating roads in the area and will continue to monitor street conditions throughout the weekend. The City of Kearney asks vehicle owners not to park on the streets if possible, to allow public works trucks and plows to be more effective.

Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative staff met this week to review emergency action plans and procedures and to ensure they are prepared to respond to any service disruptions resulting from the winter storm.

Travel is discouraged during this storm, but if you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.