Snow has shoppers stocking up

As Nodaway County residents began bracing for tonight's predicted winter storm, local merchants reported a run on such items as scoop shovels, anti-freeze and driveway salt.

And since there hasn't been a lot of snow this winter, store managers say they are for the most part well supplied.

"I think we're in pretty good shape," said co-manager Dennis Abrams at the Walmart Supercenter. "We had a little bit of a run on Monday, but it was still pretty slow today (Tuesday). We even have some snowblowers left if anybody wants to buy a couple."

Maryville Hy-Vee manager Chris Wiltfong said the supermarket is in "pretty good shape" as far as winter-weather inventory goes, and that another pallet of melting salt was to arrive by truck Tuesday night.

However, customers might want to buy their snow supplies sooner rather than later, since Wiltfong said stocks of ice salt, shovels and other winter goods are down slightly compared to earlier in the year. That's because Hy-Vee has already started to move into its spring inventory season.

Indeed with March only 10 days away, some Maryville residents are readying for a blast of winter weather while at the same time preparing to plant gardens.

At Watkins True Value Hardware, there are already bags of potting soil, peat moss and compost stacked in the parking lot, and manager Brad Watkins said he sold a large quantity of garden seed and a pallet of melting compound on the same day.

But he has plenty of both left, and unlike a lot of other local residents the last thing Watkins is going to complain about is bad weather.

"I love a good snow storm," he said, adding that sales of everything from ice salt to shovels to snowblowers have picked over over the last couple of days.

Before the likelihood of the storm was announced, Watkins said, ice salt purchases were down 75 percent from what the store normally sells. Also making the cash register ring are a host of smaller items, such as ice cleats for shoes, window scrapers, gloves and other winter accessories.

The approach of a major storm has also helped move big-ticket items, such as the display of snowblowers sitting in front of Watkins' store. While still fairly long, the row is shorter than it was a couple of days ago.

Of course, weather predictions are just that, and the snow isn't here yet. But the National Weather Service is virtually certain that northwest Missourians can expect the worst snow blast in two years to roar through the region Wednesday night.

A winter storm watch for this area will be in effect from Wednesday evening through late Thursday with a 90 percent chance of precipitation.

The best guess is that snowfall will begin Thursday sometime between 1 and 2 a.m., increase in intensity through the morning, and continue throughout much of the day.

Accumulation could exceed 10 inches, according go the NWS website.

The heaviest snow is anticipated north of Highway 36 in Buchanan County, which puts Maryville about 30 miles from the expected heart of the storm.

One bit of good news is that the threat of freezing rain and accumulated ice is worse a bit farther south along a line extending from Paola, Kan., to Warrensburg, Mo.

Most of the ice is expected to hit south of U.S. Highway 50, which includes the southern part of metropolitan Kansas City. A winter storm watch for this portion of the storm includes the Missouri counties of Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Platte, Clay, Ray, Jackson, Lafayette, Cass, Johnson, Bates and Henry.

Locally, snow could continue falling through much of Thursday with a high temperature near 28 degrees and easterly winds gusting in excess of 30 mph. Thursday night there is a 50 percent chance of precipitation in the form of snow and freezing drizzle before 3 a.m.

Skies will begin to clear Friday, according to the NWS, when there is an expected high of around 25 degrees.