Kansas, 1999

Winter Storm in Kansas, January 1 to 3, 1999

January 1 to 3, 1999 · NWS GID · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

The start of 1999 was ushered in with light snow, ice and very cold weather across north-central Kansas. On New Years Day, light freezing drizzle began late in the morning and continued all day.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 GID wrote it up.

The start of 1999 was ushered in with light snow, ice and very cold weather across north-central Kansas. On New Years Day, light freezing drizzle began late in the morning and continued all day. By evening, a thin layer of ice was noted on roads, trees and power lines. Some brief power outages were reported. During the evening, some areas received 1 to 2 inches of snow which only made travel more treacherous. On the 2nd, strong north winds gusting to 30 mph forced temperatures lower and wind chill readings well below zero. While air temperatures dropped to 5 below zero the morning of the 3rd, chill factors ranged from 25 to 40 below zero through that afternoon.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Jewell

When
January 1, 8:00 AM CST to January 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Jewell forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.785, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mitchell

When
January 1, 8:00 AM CST to January 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Mitchell forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.393, -98.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Osborne

When
January 1, 8:00 AM CST to January 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Osborne forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.350, -98.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Phillips

When
January 1, 8:00 AM CST to January 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Phillips forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.785, -99.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rooks

When
January 1, 8:00 AM CST to January 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Rooks forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.350, -99.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Smith

When
January 1, 8:00 AM CST to January 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Smith forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.785, -98.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 1999

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: 5685224, 5685225, 5685226, 5685227, 5685228, 5685229.