Blizzard, Phillips
- When
- January 17, 3:00 PM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Phillips forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.785, -99.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Kansas, January 17 to 18, 1996
A very strong winter storm brought blizzard conditions to parts of North-Central Kansas. Only 4 or less inches of snow fell across the region but this snow was driven by 50 to 70 mph winds.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.
A very strong winter storm brought blizzard conditions to parts of North-Central Kansas. Only 4 or less inches of snow fell across the region but this snow was driven by 50 to 70 mph winds. Temperatures fell nearly 30 degrees at the beginning of the event to readings near zero. This produced wind chills of 50 to 60 below. Most of the snowfall was over during the early morning hours of the 18th but the strong winds continued to make for whiteout conditions. No deaths or serious injuries were directly related to this blizzard.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Smith
- When
- January 17, 3:00 PM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Smith forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.785, -98.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Jewell
- When
- January 17, 3:00 PM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jewell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.785, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Rooks
- When
- January 17, 3:00 PM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rooks forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.350, -99.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Osborne
- When
- January 17, 3:00 PM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Osborne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.350, -98.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mitchell
- When
- January 17, 3:00 PM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mitchell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.393, -98.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 1996
- High Wind in Kansas, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Dust Storm in Arizona, January 17, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- High Wind in Texas, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996
More
Every storm in Kansas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5550318, 5550319, 5550320, 5550321, 5550322, 5550323.