Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 7 to 8, 1997

Name: Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 7 to 8, 1997
Start: 1997-12-07T19:00
End: 1997-12-08T07:00
Location: Kansas

December 7 to 8, 1997 · NWS TOP · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Four to seven inches fell across most of Northeast and East Central Kansas. The snow contributed to numerous automobile accidents most of which were minor.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 8
Property damage: $80,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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.

Four to seven inches fell across most of Northeast and East Central Kansas. The snow contributed to numerous automobile accidents most of which were minor. Some higher amounts reported included McFarland and Eskridge 7 inches, Holton and Valley Falls 6 inches, Hiawatha, Topeka and Lawrence 5 inches.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Ottawa

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 39.133, -97.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Nemaha

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Nemaha forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.784, -96.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Brown

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.827, -95.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Riley

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Riley forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.297, -96.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pottawatomie

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Pottawatomie forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.379, -96.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jackson

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.417, -95.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.236, -95.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Geary

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Geary forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.002, -96.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wabaunsee

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Wabaunsee forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Shawnee

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Shawnee forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Douglas

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Morris

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Morris forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.687, -96.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lyon

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Lyon forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.456, -96.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Osage

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Osage forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.652, -95.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Franklin

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.565, -95.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Coffey

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Coffey forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.237, -95.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Anderson

When: December 7, 7:00 PM CST to December 8, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Anderson forecast zone
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 38.214, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Kansas in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5624514, 5624515, 5624516, 5624517, 5624518, 5624519, 5624520, 5624521, 5624522, 5624523, 5624524, 5624525, 5624526, 5624527, 5624528, 5624529, 5624530.