WICHITA — The National Weather Service in Wichita has issued a winter storm watch in effect from Saturday through late Sunday morning for Barton, Ellsworth and Rice counties.
A winter storm system will bring accumulating snowfall to Kansas along with some light accumulations of freezing rain and sleet forecast Saturday morning.
Saturday morning will start with a mix of snow and sleet in Barton County, becoming all snow after 3 p.m. High near 28. Southeast wind 7 to 11 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow and sleet accumulation is forecast to be around 2 inches.
Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches will be possible across the watch area by late Saturday night and snow totals could reach 6 to 8 inches. Moderate to heavy snow is most likely to occur Saturday evening.
Snow is likely, mainly before midnight. A north northwest wind from 11 to 21 mph is forecast, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.
Ice accumulations of a trace to a tenth of an inch are possible from freezing rain with a few locations witnessing slightly higher ice accumulations.
Areas affected include Liberal and Dodge City and areas south and east of Barton County.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a winter storm warning for sleet possibly mixed with freezing rain, and snow  in effect from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday.
A mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow is likely Saturday with snow becoming persistent saturday evening. Accumulating snow should end around sunrise Sunday morning.
Total snow and ice accumulations, a band of 4 to 7 inches of snow along with locally up to a half inch of sleet is possible Saturday and Saturday night. Minor ice accumulation is possible along the Interstate 70 corridor with up to two tenths of an inch of ice near and south of Interstate 35.
Winds will increase from the north on Saturday night with occasional gusts up to 20 mph. Weekend travel is expected to become difficult across the watch area.
Roadways are forecast to be very slick and hazardous for travel during the weekend. A winter storm watch means there is a potential for significant winter weather that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updated information.

The National Weather Service has issued winter watches and warnings for Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.