Ice Storm, Riley
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Riley forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $70,000
- Coordinates
- 39.297, -96.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Kansas, December 21, 1997
Freezing rain deposited one-fourth to one-half inches of glaze along interstate 35 east of Emporia and also near the Nebraska border. Other areas received somewhat less accumulations.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- $70,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 23
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 TOP wrote it up.
Freezing rain deposited one-fourth to one-half inches of glaze along interstate 35 east of Emporia and also near the Nebraska border. Other areas received somewhat less accumulations. The ice on the roads resulted in mostly minor accidents. One fatal accident occurred however when a pick-up truck lost control on an ice covered bridge then hit a car head-on, killing the driver of the car. The accident occurred near Tuttle Creek State Park in northern Riley County. An interesting event occurred when a truck carrying beer flipped over onto its side on Interstate 70 in Geary County. Local law enforcement had to guard the truck as several people stopped at the site of the accident to help themselves to the beer.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
23 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Coffey
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coffey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.237, -95.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Anderson
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Anderson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.214, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Lyon
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.456, -96.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Osage
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Osage forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.652, -95.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Franklin
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.565, -95.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Morris
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morris forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.687, -96.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Geary
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Geary forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.002, -96.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Wabaunsee
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabaunsee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Shawnee
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Shawnee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Douglas
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Douglas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pottawatomie
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pottawatomie forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.379, -96.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jackson
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.417, -95.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jefferson
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.236, -95.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Marshall
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.784, -96.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Nemaha
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nemaha forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.784, -96.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Brown
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.827, -95.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Dickinson
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dickinson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.867, -97.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Ottawa
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.133, -97.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Cloud
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cloud forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.480, -97.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Clay
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.350, -97.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Republic
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Republic forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.828, -97.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Washington
- When
- December 21, 6:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.784, -97.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm, Riley | 1997-12-21 | 54 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 21 to 27, 1997
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 21 to 23, 1997
- Ice Storm in Iowa, December 21 to 22, 1997
- Ice Storm in Kansas, December 21 to 22, 1997
- Ice Storm in Nebraska, December 21 to 22, 1997
- Flood in Florida, December 21 to 31, 1997
- Tornado in California, December 21, 1997
- Flash Flooding in Texas, December 21, 1997
- Ice Storm in Missouri, December 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, December 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, December 21, 1997
- Winter Storm in Arizona, December 21 to 23, 1997
More
Every storm in Kansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 1997
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: 5624544, 5624545, 5624546, 5624547, 5624548, 5624549, 5624550, 5624551, 5624552, 5624553, 5624554, 5624555, 5624556, 5624557, 5624558, 5624559, 5624560, 5624561, 5624562, 5624731, 5624732, 5624733, 5624734.