Winter Storm, Sheridan
- When
- December 12, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.350, -100.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Kansas, December 12, 2001
A quick winter storm brought a burst of 4 to 6 inches of heavy snow across eastern Sheridan and central Graham Counties. Also, northern Gove County was affected by the storm with up to 4 inches of snow, which caused minor accidents along Interstate 70.
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
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 GLD wrote it up.
A quick winter storm brought a burst of 4 to 6 inches of heavy snow across eastern Sheridan and central Graham Counties. Also, northern Gove County was affected by the storm with up to 4 inches of snow, which caused minor accidents along Interstate 70.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 12, 1:30 PM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 1:30 PM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 130 PM MST WED DEC 12 2001 FORECAST CONCERNS ARE SNOW TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BEGIN LIFTING OUT OF THE AREA TONIGHT WITH INCREASING HEIGHTS THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH AND COLDER AIR MOVE IN FOR SATURDAY. LEE TROUGH DEVELOPS ON THURSDAY WITH A MODERATION IN SURFACE TEMPS WITH WARMER SOUTHWEST/WEST WINDS. LITTLE CHANGE FOR FRIDAY WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH LATE SATURDAY. AS SURFACE LOW AND SYSTEM MOVE OUT OF THE AREA TONIGHT WILL KEEP HIGH POPS OVER THE EAST/SOUTHEAST CWA PER ETA WITH LOWER POPS JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF THEM. FAR NORTHWEST ZONES WILL HAVE NO POPS. OTHERWISE IT LOOKS DRY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM. AS FAR AS TEMPS...WITH GRADUAL CLEARING TONIGHT WILL GO WITH A BLEND OF THE FWC/MAV TEMPS WHICH ARENT ALL THAT FAR APART. ON THURSDAY... WE HAVE SOME LIGHT WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AND SLOWLY INCREASING HEIGHTS. NGM/ETA/UKMET 850 TEMPS WOULD SUPPORT FWC GUIDANCE VALUES OF MID/UPPER 40S WITH AVN SUPPORTING TEMPS AROUND 40 PLUS OR MINUS A FEW. WILL SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE AND GO 40 TO 45 ACROSS THE BOARD. MINS MODERATE A BIT THURSDAY NIGHT WITH GENERAL CONSENSUS AGREEING ON 20 TO 25. FOR FRIDAY...SHOULD BE A WARM DAY WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND 850 TEMPS SUPPORTING HIGHS IN THE 50 TO 55 DEGREE RANGE ALTHOUGH I WOULDNT BE SURPRISED IF SOME AREAS PUSH THE UPPER 50S/NEAR 60 IF ETA IS RIGHT. ON SATURDAY...FRONT MOVES THROUGH LATE IN THE DAY. ETA 850 TEMPS GIVE HIGHS IN THE 55 TO 60 DEGREE RANGE WITH AVN TO 10F BEHIND. WILL GO WITH 50 TO 55 FOR NOW WITH THE IDEA THAT 60 MAY NOT BE THAT FAR AWAY. IN THE EXTENDED PERIODS (SUN-WED)...CENTER OF UPPER LEVEL TROUGH HOVERS OVER THE AREA SUNDAY WITH PRETTY COLD 850 TEMPS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. LEE TROUGH DEVELOPS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE LENDING SUPPORT TO WARMER TEMPS ON MONDAY UNDER A FAST NEARLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. FOR TUESDAY...DIFFERENCES ARISE IN SURFACE PATTERN BUT UPPER FLOW REMAINS WEST. 850 TEMPS COOL A TAD BUT NOTHING BIG. ON WEDNESDAY CURRENT AND PREVIOUS RUN OF THE MRF IS IN AGREEMENT WITH A LARGE HIGH PRESSURE AREA OVER THE AREA WITH A GOOD COOLDOWN EXPECTED. AS FAR AS PRECIP CHANCES...WILL MENTION SOME OVER SOUTHEAST/SOUTHERN CWA EARLY SUNDAY AS WRAPAROUND MOISTURE AFFECTS THAT AREA BEHIND SURFACE LOW MOVING FROM SOUTHEAST COLORADO TO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. OTHERWISE...NEXT CHANCE ISNT TILL WEDNESDAY WITH NEXT FRONT. .GLD...NONE. THEDE
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Graham
- When
- December 12, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
- Where
- Graham forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 39.350, -99.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Gove
- When
- December 12, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
- Where
- Gove forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 38.916, -100.483 (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
- Hurricane in Guam, December 12 to 20, 2001
- Avalanche in Alaska, December 12, 2001
- Tornadoes in Texas, December 12, 2001
- Tornado in Louisiana, December 12, 2001
- Tornado in Louisiana, December 12, 2001
- Blizzard in Oregon, December 12 to 13, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 12 to 14, 2001
- Flooding in Tennessee, December 12, 2001
- High Wind in Oregon, December 12 to 14, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 12 to 14, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Washington, December 12 to 13, 2001
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Louisiana, December 12, 2001
More
Every storm in Kansas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2001
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: 5274759, 5274760, 5274761.