Kansas, 1998

Ice Storm in Kansas, January 11 to 12, 1998

January 11 to 12, 1998 · NWS EAX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A light freezing rain developed during the late evening hours of January 11th and continued into the morning commute on January 12th. There were a few non-injury traffic accidents reported in Kansas City and in portions of Johnson County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 EAX wrote it up.

A light freezing rain developed during the late evening hours of January 11th and continued into the morning commute on January 12th. There were a few non-injury traffic accidents reported in Kansas City and in portions of Johnson County. School closures were not as numerous as the neighbouring Missouri school districts.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Johnson

When
January 11, 10:00 PM CST to January 12, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Johnson forecast zone
Coordinates
38.884, -94.822 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Wyandotte

When
January 11, 11:00 PM CST to January 12, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Wyandotte forecast zone
Coordinates
39.115, -94.764 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Leavenworth

When
January 11, 11:00 PM CST to January 12, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Leavenworth forecast zone
Coordinates
39.199, -95.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 1998

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5628943, 5628944, 5628945.