Month: January 2025

Rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow and even thunder, lightning and hail are accompanying our first winter storm of the season.

Roads north of Springfield have been icy all day Sunday, but with temps dropping below freezing and snow falling, roads in the Springfield area are becoming slick.

Here are the latest road conditions statewide with the MoDOT Traveler Information Map.

Also, we’re getting reports of power outages, especially to the north and east of Springfield.

Get information on power outages in the Ozarks and across Missouri here.

We’ve also had reports of pea to dime size hail with thunderstorms containing thunder and lightning in the city of Nixa, between Springfield and Rogersville along Highway 14, and in Niangua.

Snow will be the main winter threat the rest of the evening in the Springfield area. We’ve had reports of a mix of sleet and snow near Highway 65 and Sunshine just before 4:00 PM Sunday, and most of the Springfield area is seeing snow as of 4:30PM. Flash freezing of roads along the I-44 corridor between Joplin and Springfield will take place, with winds up to 25 miles per hour.

A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect from midnight Sunday night to 10 AM Monday morning for counties along and west of Highway 65, including the city of Springfield.

Remaining ice accumulations will mainly be a glaze from freezing drizzle. Otherwise, drizzle, snow, and sleet will be the dominant precipitation types through tonight. Increased winds could still create impacts for ice covered trees and powerlines.

Snow and sleet amounts ranging from 2-5″ along the Highway 54 corridor to around 1-2″ along the Highway 60 corridor. Far southern Missouri will only see a dusting to half an inch. Blowing snow may reduce visibilities below a mile for brief periods.

High confidence in an anomalously cold arctic airmass settling in next week. Temperatures 15-25 degrees below normal with subzero wind chills Sunday night through Wednesday night.

(Photo of ice on trees in Dallas County courtesy of April Garrett, Dallas County Emergency Management). 

 

The combination of freezing rain, sleet and snow has led to many slick roads in the Ozarks, and a number of schools are having their first snow day of the school year on Monday.

Here’s the list of Southwest Missouri public schools closed on Monday, January 6th:

Camdenton

Ed Dorado Springs

Eminence (AMI Day #1)

Gasconade C-4

Laclede County R-1 (Conway)

Lebanon (AMI Day #1)

Mountain View-Birch Tree Liberty (Snow Day)

Richland (AMI Day #1)

School of the Osage

Stoutland

Success

Summersville

Swedeborg

Winona

Each team of 8 is $200 and doors open up at the Oasis Hotel & Conv. Center in Springfield (2546 N Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO 65803), at 5:30pm, and trivia starts at 6pm.

Get Your Table Here

We’ll also have free appetizers and a cash bar provided by the Oasis Hotel & Conv. Center.

All of the proceeds from Trivia Night will stay local and go to support The Honor Flight of The Ozarks.

Get Your Table Here

Missouri Congressman Mark Alford says he is happy with the reelection of Mike Johnson to the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Here is Congressman Alford’s statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04) issued the following statement congratulating Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04) on his re-election as the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives:

“Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson on his reelection as the 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives! This is a pivotal moment for our country: we have secured Republican control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives—a trifecta. Speaker Johnson’s unwavering faith, commitment to conservative values, and dedication to the American people make him the right leader for this critical time.

The American people delivered a clear mandate in November: advance President Trump’s bold agenda to restore economic strength, secure our borders, and promote peace through strength on the world stage. Speaker Johnson is aligned with President Trump’s vision and has the resolve to unite our conference and guide the House toward achieving these goals.

Now is the time to come together and get to work for the American people. We’re confident that this Congress, led by House Republicans, will rise to the challenge—putting America first, bringing hope to all, and delivering real results that strengthen our nation.”

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning from noon Saturday until 6 AM Monday for the following counties in our listening area:

Dallas

Hickory

Laclede

St. Clair

Vernon

There is also an Ice Storm Warning for Wright County.

A heavy mix of snow and sleet with total accumulations between 2 and 5 inches and ice accumulations between two tenths and one half of an inch.

Roads will likely become slick and hazardous.

People should consider delaying all travel.

If you must travel, you should drive with extreme caution.

Having a beard will no longer be an obstacle to becoming a Springfield police officer.

The department has expanded its grooming standards for officers to allow beards in an effort to attract more applicants. Chief Paul Williams says the new beard policy reflects the department’s commitment to evolving its grooming standards in a way that respects individuality, while maintaining professionalism.

Recruitment for the 80th Policy Academy is set to begin in June. You can go to “Go SPD dot com” for more information and to apply online.

MoDOT says if you’re traveling on Sunday and Monday, make sure you stock your vehicle with winter essentials.

District Maintenance Engineer Jimmy Shannon says it’s good to have warm clothing, something to keep you warm, and an emergency roadside kit so you can protect yourself. That includes non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, a full tank of gas, and kitty litter or sand to help you gain traction if you get stuck.

The city of Mansfield is under a boil order.

On Thursday a water pump failed and a backup up pump also failed.

Crews are working to fix the pumps.

The city says it hopes to have the pumps fixed by Saturday, but the boil order is in effect until further notice.

Convoy of Hope distributed bottled water to residents Thursday night.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for central Missouri and the eastern Ozarks.

The weather service says the Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 6 PM Saturday until Monday morning at 6 AM.

The storm will bring with it a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow accompanied by gusty winds which could take down power lines.

The weather service says temperatures and wind chills next week will be below normal with highs in the 20s and lows in the single digits.

We will keep you up to date with the latest weather information of 93-3 and A-M 560 K-W-T-O.

Republican legislators are ready to work on expansion of charter schools in Missouri when the General Assembly reconvenes on January 8th.

The ‘Missouri Independent’ reports Democrats are pushing for more local control in counties where charters already operate, along with rolling back an expansion into Boone County that passed earlier this year.

Identical bills seek to authorize charter schools in the state’s five charter counties and in municipalities with at least 30,000 residents. With some exceptions, charter schools are only allowed to operate in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Boone County.