Heavy Snow, Franklin
- When
- December 24, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Injuries
- 9 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $60,000
- Coordinates
- 38.565, -95.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 24, 1997
A very wet snow fell in all of North Central, Northeast and East Central Kansas. The precipitation was mostly snow from the onset in North Central Kansas.
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
- 9
- Property damage
- $60,000
- 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.
A very wet snow fell in all of North Central, Northeast and East Central Kansas. The precipitation was mostly snow from the onset in North Central Kansas. In East Central and most of Northeast Kansas however heavy rain turned to heavy snow with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour shortly after the changeover occurred. Total accumulations were held down due to soaked ground and temperatures slightly above freezing. The greatest snowfall of 4 to 6 inches fell generally north of Interstate 70. Some specific amounts include Blaine and Concordia 6 inches, Circleville and Munden 5 inches, Seneca 4 to 6 inches, Hiawatha, Marysville and Manhattan 4 inches. Several vehicle accidents resulted with one of them fatal. A motorist lost control on northbound US Highway 59 four miles north of Ottawa in Franklin County and was hit on the passenger side by a suburban vehicle as he slid into the opposing lane. The motorist was killed while the driver of the suburban vehicle suffered minor injuries.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
23 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Republic
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Washington
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Marshall
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Nemaha
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Brown
- When
- December 24, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 39.827, -95.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Cloud
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Ottawa
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Clay
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Dickinson
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Riley
- When
- December 24, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Riley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.297, -96.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Pottawatomie
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Jackson
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Geary
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Wabaunsee
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Shawnee
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Jefferson
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Morris
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Lyon
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Osage
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Douglas
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Coffey
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Anderson
- When
- December 24, 12:00 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)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Brown | 1997-12-24 | 21 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes in Alabama, December 24, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 24 to 25, 1997
- Flooding in Georgia, December 24 to 28, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 24, 1997
- Flood in Florida, December 24 to 26, 1997
- Dense Fog in Oregon, December 24 to 25, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, December 24 to 25, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 24, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 24 to 25, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, December 24, 1997
- Winter Storm in Missouri, December 24, 1997
- Winter Storm in Michigan, December 24 to 25, 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: 5624735, 5624736, 5624737, 5624738, 5624739, 5624740, 5624741, 5624742, 5624743, 5624744, 5624745, 5624746, 5624747, 5624748, 5624749, 5624750, 5624751, 5624752, 5624753, 5624754, 5624755, 5624756, 5624757.