Blizzard, Republic
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Republic forecast zone
- Injuries
- 9 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 39.828, -97.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Kansas, March 7 to 8, 1998
A snowstorm accompanied by blizzard conditions dumped 6 or more inches of snow northwest of the Kansas Turnpike. A swath of 10 or more inches fell along and north of a line from Holton in Jackson County to Belleville in Republic County.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
- $150,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 20
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 snowstorm accompanied by blizzard conditions dumped 6 or more inches of snow northwest of the Kansas Turnpike. A swath of 10 or more inches fell along and north of a line from Holton in Jackson County to Belleville in Republic County. Sabetha reported the most snow with 18 inches. Other higher amounts included Centralia 15, Blaine 13, and Holton 11. Belleville, Washington, and Frankfort all received 10 inches. Strong winds combined with the snow to produce near white out conditions in many areas and forced the closing of at least 22 US and state highways, including 60 miles of interstate 70 from the west side of Topeka to near Junction City. US Highway 75 was closed between Topeka and the Nebraska boarder. Numerous accidents and stranded cars were reported. One fatal accident occurred in northern Dickinson County due to a head on collision between two cars. Snowfall totals decreased dramatically southeast of the Kansas Turnpike with little accumulation south of Interstate 35. The snow began accumulating in North Central Kansas during late afternoon on the 7th. Rain in Northeast and East Central Kansas gradually changed to snow from early evening to shortly after midnight. Winds increased after midnight on the 8th with gusts between 30 and 50 mph mph creating blizzard or near blizzard conditions by noon, mainly northwest of the Kansas Turnpike. Drifts of 4 to 7 feet were common with drifts exceeding 10 feet reported in extreme cases.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
20 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Washington
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.784, -97.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Marshall
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.784, -96.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Nemaha
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nemaha forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.784, -96.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Brown
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.827, -95.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cloud
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cloud forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.480, -97.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Clay
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 39.350, -97.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dickinson
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dickinson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.867, -97.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ottawa
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.133, -97.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Riley
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Riley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.297, -96.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pottawatomie
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pottawatomie forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.379, -96.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Jackson
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.417, -95.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Jefferson
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.236, -95.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Geary
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Geary forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.002, -96.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Morris
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morris forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.687, -96.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wabaunsee
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabaunsee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Shawnee
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Shawnee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Osage
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Osage forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.652, -95.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Douglas
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Douglas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lyon
- When
- March 7, 5:00 PM CST to March 8, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.456, -96.153 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blizzard, Clay | 1998-03-07 | 45 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, March 7 to 8, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, March 7, 1998
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, March 7 to 30, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, March 7, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, March 7, 1998
- Hail in Mississippi, March 7, 1998
- Winter Storm in Kansas, March 7 to 12, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, March 7, 1998
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 7 to 12, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, March 7, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, March 7, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Georgia, March 7, 1998
More
Every storm in Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5634558, 5634559, 5634560, 5634561, 5634562, 5634563, 5634564, 5634565, 5634566, 5634567, 5634568, 5634569, 5634570, 5634571, 5634572, 5634573, 5634574, 5634575, 5634576, 5634577.