The city of Hays remains in a blizzard warning until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches and winds gusting as high as 65 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The combination of snow and intense winds will produce widespread blowing and drifting snow, with visibility reduced to near zero at times. Travel will become difficult to impossible, especially Monday afternoon and Monday evening, and especially on open rural highways.
Travelers should be prepared for rapid changes in visibility and road conditions, over short distances and short time periods. Stranded travelers will be at risk of wind chills near zero by Tuesday morning.
Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.
The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
Affected counties include Trego-Ellis-Scott-Lane-Ness-Rush-Hamilton-Kearny-Finney-Hodgeman-Stanton-Grant-Haskell-Gray-Morton-Stevens.
Including the cities of Wakeeney, Pfeifer, Hays, Scott City, Scott State Lake, Dighton, Ness City, La Crosse, Syracuse, Lakin, Deerfield, Garden City, Jetmore, Hanston, Johnson City, Ulysses, Sublette, Satanta, Cimarron, Montezuma, Elkhart, and Hugoton.
Forecast for Hays Monday night through Tuesday night
Monday night: Snow likely, mainly before 2 a.m. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow, mainly before 2 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 17. Wind chill values as low as -1. Very windy, with a north northwest wind 30 to 34 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Tuesday night: Patchy blowing snow before 3 p.m. Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 28. Wind chill values as low as -1. Very windy, with a north northwest wind 20 to 30 mph decreasing to 9 to 19 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph.
Tuesday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 13. West southwest wind 8 to 10 mph.