Winter Storm Coverage: Road conditions and airport delays

KANSAS CITY METRO (KCTV) - As a snow/wintry mix continues falling on the Kansas City area Thursday morning, the precipitation is causing pretty slick roads and interstates.

(Click here for your StormTrack5 Weather Alert forecast for today’s winter storm)

After holding to a regular traffic flow of 45-50 miles per hour during the early morning, interstate drivers in the metro have since slowed down even further, to around 30 miles per hour. That’s because as snow and mix has continued to fall this morning, road conditions have slowly deteriorated and are now quite slippery, as of 7 a.m.

Travel is not advised. If you have to go out, please take it very slow and stay aware of your surroundings.

There have been around a dozen reported crashes along Kansas City area interstates this morning, although none have involved serious injuries. Some trouble areas include I-435 between U.S. 69 Highway in Overland Park and Holmes Road in Kansas City, MO. Interstate 35 near Claycomo and Liberty has also seen multiple crashes and slide-offs this morning.

Those crashes are expected to increase as we enter rush hour. KCTV5 has been live all morning, and will continue giving you live driving conditions and the latest forecast models.

(Click here for real-time traffic conditions along Kansas City area interstates)

Meanwhile, Reporter Joe Hennessy is out at KCI with the latest on air travel and airport delays.

As of 7 a.m., there were nearly 20 cancellations, along with some delays. For the most part, though, air travel is expected to be manageable. Airport officials suggest travelers arrive at least two hours before departure times---or even more if you are using long-term parking.

KCI is expecting 488,000 travelers in this 2-week stretch that ends on Jan. 2. That would be a 17 percent increase from the same period last year, and at 99.7 percent of pre-pandemic levels of service. Officials said the busiest days are expected to be today, tomorrow and Dec. 30.

For parking, you cannot park at the curb for pick-up or drop-off, or you will be ticketed or towed. Drivers can use the garages, circle lots or Terminal B curbside valet parking.

(Click here for real-time updates on flight delays/cancellations)

Stay with KCTV5 News as we continue our Winter Storm coverage throughout the day.

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