Kansas, 1997

Blizzard and Heavy Rain in Kansas, October 25 to 26, 1997

October 25 to 26, 1997 · NWS DDC · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

14 blizzard, 5 heavy rain, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 19 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
19

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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 blizzard, 5 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Trego

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Trego forecast zone
Coordinates
38.914, -99.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A major late fall blizzard struck much of the area dumping from 10 to 20 inches of snow across the area. A strong north wind whipped the snow into 15 to 20 foot drifts. Most roads were impassable for several days after the snow ended. Twenty-two thousand (22,000) head of cattle died in the Dodge City County Warning Area, both in pastures and in the feedlots. Monetarily this amounted to $11 million in losses. Additionally, the cattle that did not die during the blizzard suffered a severe weight loss which led to higher operating costs for feedlots (expected to last well in the Spring of 1998). Over 35,000 head perished across western Kansas.

Blizzard, Ellis

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Ellis forecast zone
Coordinates
38.915, -99.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Finney

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Finney forecast zone
Coordinates
38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Coordinates
37.562, -101.308 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Gray

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Gray forecast zone
Coordinates
37.738, -100.438 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hamilton

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Coordinates
37.999, -101.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Haskell

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Haskell forecast zone
Coordinates
37.562, -100.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kearny

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Kearny forecast zone
Coordinates
38.000, -101.320 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lane

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Lane forecast zone
Coordinates
38.481, -100.466 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Morton

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Morton forecast zone
Coordinates
37.191, -101.799 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ness

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Ness forecast zone
Coordinates
38.479, -99.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Scott

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Coordinates
38.482, -100.907 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stanton

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Stanton forecast zone
Coordinates
37.563, -101.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stevens

When
October 25, 4:00 AM CST to October 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Stevens forecast zone
Coordinates
37.192, -101.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Ford

When
October 25, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Ford forecast zone
Coordinates
37.692, -99.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rainfall accompanied the blizzard that occurred in the western part of the CWA. Many areas had from 3 to 5 inches of rain with temperatures in the 30s. No flooding was reported, however.

Heavy Rain, Clark

When
October 25, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Coordinates
37.236, -99.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Kiowa

When
October 25, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Kiowa forecast zone
Coordinates
37.558, -99.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Edwards

When
October 25, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Edwards forecast zone
Coordinates
37.888, -99.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Meade

When
October 25, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Meade forecast zone
Coordinates
37.238, -100.366 (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.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5626541, 5626542, 5626543, 5626544, 5626545, 5626546, 5626547, 5626548, 5626549, 5626550, 5626551, 5626552, 5626553, 5626554, 5626555, 5626556, 5626557, 5626558, 5626559.