KC extreme weather - what to know? (Denver: schools, closing)

[chaneyz]

Well... from where we came from.. we have a very different take on the weather here..

I would advise --- after learning all these things the hard way to do some/all of the following: (no particular order of importance)

Get a good weather radio and keep fresh batteries in it with back ups. Flashlights/candles are a must just in case the electricity goes out.

Oh there IS a #1 --- do not go outside to try and figure what that siren is all about! **

Be aware of the watches/warnings and buy items like ice melt/shovel/sand tubes/beforehand. Stock up on staples/toiletries/water etc. Not to sound like an alarmist, but just be prepared in all seasons.

We move to Liberty, MO from good old sunny SO CA. We'd lived there all our lives and we had NO idea what we were in for.

We saw our first snow here It was lovely. I learned how to drive in the snow and only had a couple of opps happen.
--> Luckily at the time our CA license plate warned other drivers ..ha ha ha..
We experienced our very first REAL thunderstorm here and went out for a drive so we could "see it" ... Not a great idea.

Another adventure -- My daughter woke me up at about 3am and told me she thought I should get up and help her figure out what the sirens were going off for... So we went outside........YUP..
We stood there wondering why no one else came out.. then it dawned on me! We scurried inside and grabbed our animals and headed for the bathroom with our weather radio. Tornado warning.

It rains a lot more than what we're used to...so now we have a vast collection of umbrellas and another new thing to us.. Closed toe shoes. We love the thunderstorms here.

We have seen a tornado - and weren't too thrilled about that. We were scared to death, but managed to get to safety.

We weighed the danger of a tornado vs a SO CA earthquake and for the time being, will stay put.
As a construction estimator at the time of the 1994 quake in Northridge, CA - We would rather hunker down and wait out a tornado than see that type of devastation again.
HOWEVER --- I say that due to the fact that we never experienced any damage as a result of a tornado either.

We thought we were going to DIE here our first summer. We were not prepared for the humidity.
We stayed inside and kept the AC going. It was OK. We've adapted since our first summer and it's just a few weeks of discomfort now.

I honestly think all the various weather situations are things you learn to adapt from and work though. I'd never had to scrape my windows before either. The only thing I feared was the freeways back "home".

One baddie........ black ice and that nearly killed me. There is no way to prepare for it. It's just there.

So, for clothes - layer, take an umbrella and stock your trunk with items for various scenerios.

That's my ex-west coast take on it.. I replaced my earthquake preparedness box with snow stuff.

NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO - 2009 Outreach Schedule
Tornado Safety (Online Tornado FAQ)
FEMA: Tornado
Tornado Safety - What you need to know NOW!

We now have a huge respect for nature that we didn't have before. And the only traffic related complaint - is if you miss your exit - you may have to drive 20 miles before you can turn around!!

Enjoy the seasons!

sheri

[TabulaRasa]

I have noticed that KC proper tends to lose electricity quite frequently in inclement weather, and that when it goes out, it tends to be out for a long-ass time. Last summer, we had at least two outages that went nearly 48 hours, and had to throw out entire fridges full of perishables each time.

An easily found stash of candles/hurricane lamps and lighting implements, and fully batterie-d flashlights have been put to good use for us more than I'm used to.

[northbound74]

chaneyz, welcome to the eastern 2/3's of the country.

As for power outages, so far I've only been in one over the last five years. That was a weird one. Clear night in the summertime. Just a little block of the grid was out. We just left the house and went and watched the fireworks they shoot off after Royals games on Friday nights. Went back home, and the lights were on.
That's the only thing after all the ice and snow storms, and tornado-ey winds that pretty much tore the shingles off 1/2 the roofs in Independence and demolished the Arby's on 291. Through all that stuff, our lights have stayed on.

[RjRobb2]

I've lived in KC my whole life and have never had power go out for more than 2 hours. I guess I have been lucky.

It's funny to hear someone say to stay inside when you hear the sirens. The first thing I do when I hear sirens is go outside and look at the clouds. In fact, I see more people outside in their driveways and porches watching an income storm than at any other time.

[RJDBLues]

Sounds like there isn't much I need to change out of my hurricane box. I did buy my son a ski coat and bib pants yesterday. Need to get a coat for my hubby and I next. Wonder how my dogs are going to take to the cold and snow.

[gwander]

KC Basements:
Most of the water problems people have with basements here in KC are caused by the type of soil that we have in this region, not because of faulty construction. Clay soil expands and contracts depending on the amount of moisture in it on any given day. So, if you have a basement and the soil around it is expanding and shrinking year after year, guess what happens to the wall?
So you wonder why we bother to have basements? Well, we have these things called tornadoes...
For safety reasons we put up with the water problems. :-)
Tornadoes:
Lots of warnings... but never been in one and I have lived here for a **long** time. That being said, one did touch down on the campus of K-State University about a year ago... I have a child at that school now and hope no more come through there.
KC Weather:
Kansas City does have 4 seasons. Generally it's rainy in the spring. It's hot and humid most of the time in the summer (except for this summer, which was very mild and downright pleasant!) It's both hot and cool in the fall, and it can get quite cold in the summer. BUT that being said, it can change at the drop of a hat! It is not unusual to have a 40-50 degree swing in the temperature in one day during the spring or fall. We are in the middle of the country where all the weather fronts clash. Also keep in mind that hot and cold are relative things... it really depends on what you are comparing it to... what you are used to. If you are from Florida, you will be cold here in the winter. If you are from Minnesota, you will think we have a very mild winter. If you are from Seattle, you will melt in our summer heat and humidity.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by RJDBLues

Sounds like there isn't much I need to change out of my hurricane box. I did buy my son a ski coat and bib pants yesterday. Need to get a coat for my hubby and I next. Wonder how my dogs are going to take to the cold and snow.

My Irish Setter would MUCH rather be out in 10 degree weather than 70. She thinks she's dying in anything over 62. Like owner, like dog.
I don't know that a ski coat is necessary. Not even sure what one looks like, but it sounds like a bit much. Just a regular ol' heavy coat, with gloves and a hat that covers the ears should do the trick.

[oscottscotto]

Can't speak for KC, but moved from the Gulf Coast to STL and thought I was in antarctica our first winter. But now, I actually kind of like the Midwest winters even though they still feel insane when compared to where we are from. I will agree that there are different levels. STL is cold, but CHI is nuts.

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by northbound74

My Irish Setter would MUCH rather be out in 10 degree weather than 70. She thinks she's dying in anything over 62. Like owner, like dog.
I don't know that a ski coat is necessary. Not even sure what one looks like, but it sounds like a bit much. Just a regular ol' heavy coat, with gloves and a hat that covers the ears should do the trick.

Some people refer to all winter coats as ski coats.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by oscottscotto

Can't speak for KC, but moved from the Gulf Coast to STL and thought I was in antarctica our first winter. But now, I actually kind of like the Midwest winters even though they still feel insane when compared to where we are from. I will agree that there are different levels. STL is cold, but CHI is nuts.

Northern MN is the north pole in the winter. I have been up there when the air temp was -50F and that did not include the wind chill. Ice thickness levels get up to 20-30 inches so you can drive a small vehicle across the lakes.
The Upper Midwest has real winters while the Lower Midwest has very mild winters.