• Primary and residential streets are plowed 24 hours per day until roads are clear. 
• All residential streets are plowed curb to curb instead of a "single pass" as was previous practice.      
  • If you park on a City street when it snows, use the north or west side of the street so snow removal crews can do their job. If vehicles are parked on both sides of a narrow street, it may not leave enough space for a snowplow.
  • Do not park on signed emergency snow routes. Vehicles parked on these routes may be ticketed or towed during snowstorms.
• Aggressive pre-treating of all roads before storms
• Blue salt, called “Ice Ban” (magnesium chloride), works better at low temperatures than standard calcium chloride.
• Increasing the usage of salt brine as applicable.
• 400+ employees from several departments are trained as plow drivers to redeploy vehicles for day and night shifts.
• Tandem plowing is used on wide, multi-lane, arterial streets with multiple trucks to efficiently clear streets on the first pass.
• Trash and recycling services are suspended during big storms to redirect resources to the Snow Team and reduce the number of vehicles on the road.
• Plow tracking technology and digital plow route management software ensures accountability, efficiency, and safety for all drivers.

Kansas City has activated the Zero KC Extreme Weather Plan, expanding emergency shelter and cold-weather support throughout the winter season. A total of 931 shelter beds are available across eight partner locations during frigid temperatures. Kansas City’s Division of Unhoused Solutions funds 491 low-barrier beds, and 440 beds are supported through community partnerships.

Bed access is first-come, first-served. To secure a bed, individuals should arrive at one of the participating sites no later than 5:00 PM for the 6:00 PM intake. Unity Southeast accepts late walk-ups until 8:00 PM.

Transportation Support

Open Doors will provide bus pickup at 4:30 PM in front of Hope Faith to transport individuals to their shelter location. 

Coordinated Outreach Efforts 

The Cold Weather Shelter Collaborative—made up of service providers, outreach teams, and day centers—maintains daily communication with individuals living outside to help them navigate shelter availability. The network increases outreach during periods of extreme cold to ensure people know where to go and how to access support. 

Shelter locations reflect intentional planning to support equitable access, offering a balanced mix of men’s, women’s, family, and all-gender options. 

For questions about shelter operations or procedures, individuals should contact shelters directly, as processes vary by location.  

Support for Community Partners

Organizations interested in opening warming centers to assist residents can review operational considerations here. 

Individual Support Options

Individuals who would like to help the unhoused directly can use one of these options which will be distributed through Hope Faith:

Did you know Kansas City plows about 6,400 lane miles of pavement in its street system? That’s equivalent to a one lane road from here to Tokyo!

During the winter season, we encourage you to follow these tips during snow events to stay safe and help make our snow operations run smoothly and efficiently.

• Please wait until the day after snow stops falling to call 311 or tweet to @KCMO311 about slick spots or missed streets. Crews take about one business day to finish a full pass on all assigned snow routes. If a crew is taken off of its assigned route to take individual requests, it will delay the entire snow operation. 
  • View KCMO open slick calls on the tracker map
• Be a good neighbor and remove snow and ice from sidewalks on your property, whether residential or business, within 48-hours after a snowfall.
• Avoid driving during snow events. If you must go out, keep water and blankets or an extra coat in your car for warmth, and keep the gas tank full.
• Keep children from playing in snow banks along the road.
• Make sure your vehicle has adequate tire tread to avoid getting stuck.
• Keep a snow shovel in your trunk. You never know when you might need one during your travels.
• When shoveling the end of your driveway where it meets the road, also clear a 10-foot strip along the curb to the left (when facing the road) to avoid snow plows pushing it back across your driveway. Watch a 41-second MoDOT video.
• Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and sign up for emergency alerts through AlertKC. 

We appreciate your help and cooperation – please stay safe during winter weather!

Be Prepared 

Winter storms may housebound us, knock out the power, or worse, strand us in our vehicles. Stay prepared with an emergency kit for your car, work, and home to avoid anxiety, discomfort, and even danger.

Repair water leaks and protect water pipes before the temperature drops to avoid an emergency situation. Be informed before the storm so you have a plan. 

For a complete list of warming centers in Kansas City, please call the United Way at 211 or visit the State of Missouri’s comprehensive map.

Residents can sign up for AlertKC text notifications. AlertKC texts weather warnings, emergency info and community messages directly to your phone.

RideKC provides a warming bus on cold weather days. Check the RideKC Twitter feed for times and locations.

Review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s severe cold weather tips.

The KCPD advises you:

• Do not leave your vehicle running unattended. That is an invitation for thieves to steal it, and City Ordinance prohibits it.
• Call 911 if you are worried about the welfare of someone in this cold weather and have been unable to reach them.

Note that both residential and business sidewalks should be cleared of snow and ice in a reasonable time after winter storms have passed. This City ordinance is for the safety of residents.

If you are unable to shovel snow, many local faith-based organizations have snow shoveling volunteers.

The City has produced numerous videos dealing with cold weather. View the YouTube winter playlist of helpful tips on safety heaters, pet safety, preparing pipes and more.

Here are tips the Humane Society of Missouri recommends to protect your pet during cold weather:

• Keep your pet inside.
• Provide adequate shelter.
• Be aware of antifreeze and rock salt.
• Dry wet pets.
• Provide adequate food and water. Snow is not a substitute for fresh water.

Animal Health staff will rescue pets found outside without proper shelter during extreme conditions and issue citations to their owners. Residents should report pets left outdoors during extreme weather by contacting 311 or the Kansas City Campus for Animal Care.